2024-25 Preview: Detroit Red Wings DETROIT RED WINGS 41-32-9, 91 Pts. 5th Atlantic, 18th Overall 3.35 GF/GP (9th), 3.33 GA/GP (24th), 23.1 PP% (9th), 79.6 PK% (14th) Top scorer: Lucas Raymond. 82 GP. 31-41-72, 25 EVG, 163 Shots, 17:45 TOI/GP 2024-25 BetMGM Stanley Cup Odds: Opening: +4000 Current: +4000 (as of August 22, 2024) Ticket: 3.2%. Handle: 2.2% (as of August 22, 2024) 2023-24 FANTASY RECAP Up until last season, Hockeytown didn't really feel like Hockeytown. The Wings felt like a moribund franchise, a once-proud Original Six that had not qualified for the playoffs for seven straight seasons, and whispers that the 'Yzerplan' wasn't working were growing louder. But then we saw Lucas Raymond blossom into a top-line forward and Moritz Seider continue his climb into elite status. And who could forget the massive buzz surrounding Patrick Kane, who caused a stir after a video of him practicing started circulating on social media, showing a player very reminiscent of the 'Showtime' version that ruled the Madhouse on Madison. The Wings missed the playoffs by one paltry point but it was finally a big step in the right direction. One of the biggest difference makers in 2023-24 was depth; there were nine players who scored at least 40 points, including two 30-goal scorers, compared to the prior season when they had only six score over 40 points and only one 30-goal scorer. Overall, the Wings had a good package, but there were certainly some hits and misses in between. Dylan Larkin was a point-per-game player again and excellent in leagues that counted face-offs, but he missed 14 games. More was expected from Michigan-native Alex DeBrincat, who finished third on the team in scoring after signing a big four-year deal. Ville Husso was a disaster, appearing in just 18 games and the Wings needed a once-in-a-lifetime miracle run from Alex Lyon to just narrowly making missing the playoffs. On the bright side: J.T. Compher proved his 52-point season was no fluke and Shayne Gostisbehere became one of the fantasy's best defenseman with a career-high 27 power-play assists, trailing only Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. There was far more good than bad, but we've also yet to really see the 'Yzerplan' deliver its promise. Dylan Larkin (71) and Lucas Raymond (23) [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA5MDg4NDcyNzM1MDMzMTg4/usatsi_23068476.jpg] Dylan Larkin (71) and Lucas Raymond (23) 2024-25 FANTASY OUTLOOK The Wings roster will look quite a bit different from last season, and I'm not quite sure all the moves were good. Attaching a pick to dump Jake Walman while keeping Justin Holl was a real head-scratcher, and they will miss the veteran leadership and steadiness of David Perron and the offensive pop of Daniel Sprong. I feel like Steve Yzerman wheels and deals so much that it's a hard to pin down exactly what kind of identity he's trying to build. The mix of forwards is nice, though I do question how impactful Vladimir Tarasenko can be as a top-six forward at this point in his career. Seider is their only defenseman who can be considered top-pairing quality, and their goaltending will depend on the health and consistency of 37-year-old Cam Talbot, who had the benefit of playing behind a very stout Kings defense last season. Raymond and Seider, two of the biggest pieces of their young core, have yet to be re-signed. Past history has shown that players who miss camp or join the team after the season has already started tend to need time to catch up, and as a result have subpar seasons. It goes without saying that this is a key juncture in the Wings' plan to get back into the playoffs, and any kind of hiccup could adversely impact the momentum and chemistry they built last season. If it all comes together, the Wings will once again present a lot of good fantasy options. Larkin's a very safe pick, Raymond and Kane have point-per-game upside, DeBrincat can easily score 30 goals with a little more luck and minutes, Seider's excellent for banger leagues and Erik Gustafsson might have a nice season in Gostisbehere's stead. Even Talbot's a good zero-G option. Unfortunately, that's if it all comes together. The closer we get to camp with Raymond and Seider unsigned, who I've included in the projected lineup below because it would be un-projectable and awful without them, the more nervous I get. THN Detroit editor Sam Stockton has the latest on their contract negotiations [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/latest-news/report-seider-set-for-bigger-contract-than-raymond] and, uh, it doesn't sound exactly promising. I also asked Sam a few questions about the Wings' outlook this season. (Update: Raymond and Seider were re-signed to long-term contracts on Sept. 17 and Sept. 19, respectively. Rank and draft them as you normally would.) Moritz Seider [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA5MTExMjQ3NjA0NDI2NTk2/usatsi_22813043.jpg] Moritz Seider THN Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/] editor Sam Stockton [https://twitter.com/_samstockton] on how Raymond might replicate his 31-goal season despite a high shooting percentage: > "I think Raymond will go over last year's 31 goals, despite that S%. He's > entering the stage of his career where he should be pushing for career highs, > and he got better as the season moved along. I think he will remain a top line > and PP1 fixture, and the way he drove offense to the slot will help him keep > his scoring numbers up even if the shooting percentage dips a bit." - ... and their PP QB situation with Seider and Gustafsson: > "My guess is that Gustafsson shoulders the bulk of the PP duties, with Seider > as PP2 QB. Last year suggested that the Red Wings believe deploying Seider in > a defense-first capacity is the best way to win games, which I think makes PP1 > a bit too much to add to his plate also. That's Gustafsson's specialty, and > while I'm not sure he's quite the player Gostisbehere was in that role, I > think the Red Wings will want him to run with it the way Gostisbehere did last > year." - 2024-25 PROJECTED LINEUP (updated Oct. 6, 2024) Even Strength Alex DeBrincat - Dylan Larkin - Lucas Raymond Vladimir Tarasenko - J.T. Compher - Patrick Kane Michael Rasmussen - Andrew Copp - Christian Fischer Jonatan Berggren - Joe Veleno - Tyler Motte Ben Chiarot - Moritz Seider Simon Edvinsson - Jeff Petry Olli Maatta - Erik Gustafsson Cam Talbot - Alex Lyon ex: Austin Watson, Albert Johansson, Ville Husso Power Play DeBrincat - Larkin - Raymond - Kane - Seider Rasmussen - Veleno - Tarasenko - Berggren - Petry SLEEPER: ERIK GUSTAFSSON, D THN Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/] editor Sam Stockton [https://twitter.com/_samstockton] knows the Wings as well as anyone, and we should take what he says very seriously. I have Seider projected to be the PP1 QB, but the current contract negotiation and Stockton's comments certainly has me thinking twice. At the very least, consider that Gustafsson is ranked far too low in Yahoo's pre-season rankings and getting overlooked in too many leagues. True, Gustafsson doesn't shoot the puck enough to be a scoring threat on the power play, but what he can do is set up the three excellent goal scorers he'll be on the ice with: DeBrincat, Kane and (hopefully) Raymond. Given the opportunity to power play such a talented unit gives Gustafsson the necessary platform to set career highs across the board. He might follow a similar path to Gostisbehere last season. BREAKOUT: SIMON EDVINSSON, D I don't expect Edvinsson to be fantasy-relevant. The two 'D' to concentrate on are Seider and Gustafsson, obviously, but this could be the season Edvinsson establishes himself as a top-four defender. The big Swede drafted sixth overall in 2021 is a steady, two-way force and he's been excellent in the AHL for two consecutive seasons. The Wings tend to overcook their prospects in the minors (in my opinion) but they should make an exception for Edvinsson. Keep an eye on him this season because he might be a target for 2025-26. I should note that Albert Johansson, selected in the second round in 2019, has also been quite impressive in the AHL over the past two seasons and could crack the opening night squad. But, first, the Wings will have to decide what to do with Holl because there's simply no room for everyone. BOUNCE-BACK: JONATAN BERGGREN, RW It sounds like Berggren's contract won't be as much of a headache, and after a tough third season in North America where he spent more time in the AHL than the NHL, I think Berggren can bounce back and stick with the Wings all season. He'll provide fantasy managers with a decent streaming option, playing bottom-six minutes at even strength but could move up to PP1. The danger with Berggren is that he can be easily leapfrogged on the depth chart, though Berggren possesses a rare kind of creative playmaking ability. I think Carter Mazur is more of a finisher and a puck retriever, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson profile as two-way centers and Elmer Soderblom is more of a lumbering power forward. BUST: VLADIMIR TARASENKO, LW/RW At this point in his career, Tarasenko is a 50-point play with middling power play upside. He is a useful player, but from a fantasy standpoint, he's not shooting the puck nearly as much as he did before and his minutes are starting to decline. Perhaps playing on a line with Kane will reinvigorate his offense, but he's such a low-upside player that he's not worth drafting until the last few rounds. He averaged a little over 14 minutes per game with the Panthers last season, and while the Wings aren't nearly as deep, it's unlikely to change significantly. GOALIES This is arguably the most difficult position to project for the Wings, and certainly the most fraught part of its roster. There's no reason to think Talbot will not be the No. 1 on opening night. He's coming off an excellent season with the Kings and he's far more experienced and reliable than anyone else they have right now. His stats likely won't be as good as they were with the Kings, but the Wings have an high-upside lineup with an offense that can bail him out to secure wins. I wonder if the stylistically contrasting teams would affect Talbot's play; I won't reach for him but concede he's a good zero-G option based on his play and the Wings' goal support. Behind him will be Lyon, who was fantastic last season for a hot minute before he burned out, literally. The workload of a No. 1 is just too immense for a career journeyman backup such as Lyon, and he'll likely factor in as the No. 2 behind Talbot. He's a streaming option at best. Then there's the two wild cards: Ville Husso and Jack Campbell. Husso has a big contract and he was just fine for stretches in his first season with the Wings. Last season, he was limited to just 19 games due to injury with some strong starts and some really, really poor ones. He may force his way into the rotation ahead of Lyon, but he has to be really good and Talbot has to falter if Husso wants to be the No. 1 again. I'd add Husso to the watch list but fall short of committing a roster spot to stash him. Campbell was signed this summer as insurance. I doubt we'll see him in the NHL barring some kind of catastrophe, but it's amusing to see him ranked as the second-highest goalie on Yahoo, ahead of both Husso and Lyon. JASON’S TOP 5 POINT PROJECTIONS Lucas Raymond, RW - 30-45-75 Patrick Kane, RW - 33-37-70 Dylan Larkin, C - 30-40-70 Alex DeBrincat, LW - 28-38-66 Vladimir Tarasenko, LW - 22-26-48 YAHOO PRE-SEASON RANKINGS 52. Dylan Larkin, C 89. Patrick Kane, RW 95. Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW 100. Lucas Raymond, LW/RW 139. Moritz Seider, D 201. Vladimir Tarasenko, LW/RW 228. J.T. Compher, C/LW/RW 231. Cam Talbot, G 253. Andrew Copp, C/LW 278. Jack Campbell, G 289. Ville Husso, G 320. Alex Lyon, G 422. Michael Rasmussen, C 446. Erik Gustafsson, D 527. Joe Veleno, C 772. Jonatan Berggren, RW 830. Simon Edvinsson, D Click here to join the new THN Fantasy roundtable to discuss! [https://thehockeynews.rtb.io/nhl-fantasy/posts] Remember to bookmark The Hockey News Fantasy [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/fantasy/] site for stats, news, analysis, rankings, projections and more, including the Sleepers and Keepers fantasy hockey podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/3kvm6m34r0xOEyt0UvPPEY]! Related: Click the image below to receive your free issue of the 2024-25 THN Poolbook. THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA3NjkzODE0MTc1OTAxMzM3/subscribe-image-promo.jpg] THN.com/free
