Offseason Summary & 2022-23 Outlook of the Detroit Red Wings

We are in the dog days of summer, and there is little to report in the way of news, trades, & signings. So now that 98% of the pieces have fallen into place for the upcoming campaign, we can look at each club's additions & subtractions and assess what can be expected of them. Most teams are competing for the Stanley Cup, others are at one point or another of a rebuild, retool, or a straight up tank job. With 32 teams to get to, we're going to start with the Atlantic Division. Next up, the Detroit Red Wings.

After six straight seasons in which they missed the playoffs, Detroit sees the time to rebuild as over & done with. GM Steve Yzerman arguably had the best offseason of any GM, landing some of the biggest names this summer. Key acquisitions this summer include D Ben Chiarot, C Andrew Copp, G Ville Husso, F Dominik Kubalik, F David Perron, D Olli Maatta while they parted ways with G Thomas Greiss, G Calvin Pickard, D Marc Staal. The Red Wings finished with 74 points in 2021-22, and did not stand out in any way, shape or form:

To be fair, the Red Wings suffered the sixth-most man-games lost due to injury. Key players like Nick Leddy, Jakub Vrana & Danny DeKeyser each missed long stretches, as well as a handful of others.

In spite of those injuries, the Wings were below-average in pretty much every valued metric last season, hence the dismissal of Head Coach Jeff Blashill. His replacement, Derek Lalonde, need not do much to outperform his predecessor.

Fortunately for Detroit, Yzerman's additions ought to have an immediate impact, specifically Ville Husso, David Perron & Andrew Copp. Each of them slots into a position in desperate need for the Wings. Copp likely slides into the 2C position, while Perron can play up & down the lineup; in Detroit he will probably slot into a top-six spot.

Husso & G Alex Nedeljkovic together comprise a tandem I'd place somewhere near-to-above average, although Nedeljkovic left more to be desired in '21-22. As is the case with most teams, if goaltending can see improvement, this could be a much more formidable team in the upcoming season.

With the list of additions accompanying budding stars Moritz Seider & Lucas Raymond, the Red Wings are an intriguing team heading into 2022-23. On one hand, their whole team can collectively take a step forward, but on the other, last season's results do not instill confidence. Ultimately, I don't see them making the playoffs because the Atlantic Division will be a gauntlet next season. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and frankly even the Ottawa Senators stand ahead of the Red Wings in my book.

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