Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman was an absolute madman on the opening day of the National Hockey League’s free agency period earlier this week, bringing aboard several new faces as he continues to rework the squad back into contending status. Forwards Andrew Copp, David Perron, and Dominik Kubalik, as well as defensemen Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, and Mark Pysyk are on their way to the Motor City; of course, this follows Yzerman’s deal with the St. Louis Blues in acquiring goaltender Ville Husso.
Last season saw the Red Wings finish on the outside looking in at the Stanly Cup Playoffs for the 6th consecutive year with a record of 32-40-10; this followed a streak of 25 consecutive appearances in the annual tournament, during which they won four Stanley Cup championships with another two appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. This resulted in Yzerman giving head coach Jeff Blashill (along with assistant coach Doug Houda and goaltending coach Jeff Saljeko) his walking papers; he’s since been replaced by former Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Derek Lalonde.
Just how much of an improvement can Red Wings fans look forward to in 2022-23 with all of the additions that the team made in addition to Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Moritz Seider and upstart forward Lucas Raymond (who finished 4th in Calder voting) getting another year under their belts?
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According to an analytical analysis courtesy of JFresh Hockey, the Red Wings will finish next season with 101 points, which would be a 27 point improvement over last year’s results. Additionally, had they accumulated 101 points last season, they would have earned the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference; that spot went to the Washington Capitals with 100 points.
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We’ve certainly been waiting a long time for the Red Wings to return to their rightful place in the upper echelon of the NHL, and it appears that those days are slowly but surely getting closer.
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