The lockout canceled more than 500 NHL games this season, but the league managed to get a deal done and salvage a shortened 48-game season.
The Detroit Red Wings look to improve on last year, where they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Nashville Predators.
Here are five things to look for as the Red Wings look to get back to their winning ways:
Brendan Smith, Jonathan Ericsson will have to fill the defensive void
The Red Wings have a big void to fill as long-time defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom retired in May. To make that void even bigger, they lost Brad Stuart to San Jose, because he wanted to be closer to his family when he ended his career.
Those were the Red Wings’ top-two defensemen. Luckily, they still have Niklas Kronwall and Ian White. White will never replace Lidstrom or Stuart, but he’s still a very solid No. 2.
Brendan Smith will start for the Red Wings, and will be expected to contribute significantly. In 32 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, Smith leads all defensemen on his team with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists).
Smith does have minor NHL experience. He played in 14 games for the Red Wings last year and had 7 points (one goal, six assists). Those numbers are good for a rookie, but Smith has to be better than a rookie.
Jonathan Ericsson is the other Red Wing who will have to step up. He had just 11 points (1, 10) in 69 games played last year.
At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, he’s a big guy the Wings need on the blue line. However, he’s had problems with turnovers that could keep him from having a future with the Red Wings. He has to be fundamentally sound on the defensive end in order for the Wings to be successful.
There’s no doubt the Red Wings weakness is going to be lack of defensive depth. But if Smith or Ericsson — if not both — can step up and make some plays, the Wings will have a chance to stay in some games.
Damien Brunner will be a force to be reckoned with
Ken Holland is one of the best general managers in all of professional sports. Despite making the playoffs for 21 straight seasons, he still manages to find talent without getting high draft picks.
Case in point, Swiss scoring champ Damien Brunner. Brunner signed with the Wings back in July, and the Swiss played with Henrik Zetterberg on EV Zug in the Swiss league.
In 33 games with Zug, Brunner racked up 57 points (25, 32) and played on a line with Zetterberg. For the Red Wings, Brunner will play on the top line with Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.
Brunner isn’t big, he’s only 5-11, 180 pounds, but he’s a skilled winger with lots of speed. The NHL is all about size and speed. If you can’t be big, it helps to be fast.
Putting Brunner on the top line with Datsyuk and Zetterberg will be a golden opportunity for Brunner. He’ll have one of the best set-up men in Datsyuk, and he already has developed great chemistry with Zetterberg in the Swiss league.
I expect Brunner to have at least 23 goals and 25 assists. He will take some time to get used to the smaller rinks and more physical game of the NHL. However, I think he will flourish being on a line with Zetterberg and Datsyuk.
Jonas Gustavsson provides depth at goalie position
In July, the Red Wings signed former Toronto Maple Leaf goalie Jonas Gustavsson. Gustavsson was brought in to back up Jimmy Howard, and possibly challenge Howard he enters the final year of his contract.
Gustavsson hasn’t posted great numbers, but he also has been playing on a very poor Maple Leafs team. Last year, he went 17-17-4 with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage for the Maple Leafs.
He’s certainly a better upgrade from Ty Conklin and Joey MacDonald. MacDonald was starting to show some promise, but back problems kept him out of the lineup, and the Red Wings need someone they can count on to give Howard a break, or relieve him in case of injury.
Gustavsson is a huge presence in the net. At 6-3, 192 pounds, he gives shooters little to shoot at. He will be able to steal a few wins for the Red Wings when Howard is not in net, and that will be crucial more than ever in this shortened season.
Gustav Nquist, Tomas Tatar could see playing time with Red Wings
Holland likes to “over ripe” his players meaning he leaves them in the AHL longer so they can develop their skills before being brought up into the NHL.
The NHL is much faster than the AHL, and if a player is brought up too early, it could result in a lack of production and, therefore, a lack of confidence from the player.
However, there are two players playing for the Griffins right now that are NHL ready and will undoubtedly see NHL action should some Red Wings fall to injury.
In 37 games each, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar are leading the team in scoring with 36 points (13, 23) and 32 points (15, 17), respectively. They have both seen limited time with the Red Wings already, so they know what to expect if they do get called up.
Ideally, I think Holland would like to leave both of these players in the AHL for the remainder of the season. However, both of them have played in Grand Rapids for close to three years, and he must feel reassured that he has some depth on the offensive side should he need to fill in some holes for the Red Wings.
Red Wings cannot afford a late-season slump
The Red Wings are historically known for late season slumps. Of course, any team is going to have a slump at some point during the season. However, the Red Wings tend to suffer theirs during February and March, right before the playoffs start.
In the 2011-12 season, the Red Wings lost 10 of 14 in March. In the 2010-11 season, the Red Wings lost 9 of 14 in March. In the 2009-10 season, the Red Wings lost 4 of 6 in February. That’s 23 of 34 games lost in the past three seasons.
Sometimes, this is due to the fact they have all but locked up their playoff spot and are just trying to get to the playoffs. However, what the Red Wings have going against them is the age of their players. Last season, the Red Wings had the second-highest average age in the league at 29.178. New Jersey (29.34) held the honor of highest average age.
By the time February and March rolls around, the older players are exhausted from the 82-game schedule. The shorter season should help the Wings, but should they suffer a slump near the end of the regular season, it will be harder to overcome as there aren’t as many games to play.
Every game is going to be exponentially more critical to win Any sort of 3- or 4-game losing streak could hurt the Wings’ chances of making the playoffs for the 22nd consecutive year.
So how far can the Red Wings go?
I think the Red Wings still are a very solid team. They have the same core group of players with Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula and Howard in net. The questions arise with the defense and whether or not guys can fill in some big holes left by Lidstrom and Stuart.
I think the Red Wings can sneak into the playoffs as a 6th, 7th or 8th seed. What worries me is how far that defense can take them once they make the playoffs. The Los Angeles Kings proved you just need to get to the playoffs to make an impact.
Hopefully, the Red Wings follow suit, clamp down on defense and make a memorable run to the Stanley Cup.
Sources
- CBS News: NHL lockout ends, training camps set to open: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57563677/nhl-lockout-ends-training-camps-set-to-open/
- ESPN.com: Detroit Red Wings Schedule – 2011-12: http://espn.go.com/nhl/team/schedule/_/name/det/year/2012/detroit-red-wings
- ESPN.com: Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom retires: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7992417/detroit-red-wings-nicklas-lidstrom-retires-20-seasons
- SF Gate: Brad Stuart takes pay cut to return to Sharks : http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Brad-Stuart-takes-pay-cut-to-return-to-Sharks-3643115.php
- Grand Rapids Griffins: Grand Rapids Griffins 2012-13 Individual Stats: http://griffinshockey.com/news/stats/
- ESPN.com: Brendan Smith Stats: http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/4973/brendan-smith
- ESPN.com: Jonathan Ericsson Stats: http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/stats/_/id/3355/jonathan-ericsson
- MLive.com: Red Wings sign Damien Brunner, high-scoring Swiss forward, to one-year deal: http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2012/07/red_wings_sign_damien_brunner.html
- Hockey DB.com: Damien Brunner: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=96871
- NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk: Detroit to ice top line of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and…Damien Brunner :
http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/11/detroit-to-ice-top-line-of-datsyuk-zetterberg-and-damien-brunner/ - SB Nation: Red Wings Sign Goalie Jonas Gustavsson: http://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-red-wings/2012/7/1/3130023/jonas-gustavsson-red-wings-nhl-free-agency-2012
- ESPN.com: Jonas Gustavsson Stats: http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/stats/_/id/5158/jonas-gustavsson
- Fantasy SP: Darren Helm News Update: http://www.fantasysp.com/player/nhl/Darren_Helm/369555
- ESPN.com: Detroit Red Wings Schedule – 2010-11: http://espn.go.com/nhl/team/schedule/_/name/det/year/2011/detroit-red-wings
- ESPN.com: Detroit Red Wings Schedule – 2009-10: http://espn.go.com/nhl/team/schedule/_/name/det/year/2010/detroit-red-wings
- QuantHockey: NHL Team Average Age in 2011‑12 Season: http://www.quanthockey.com/TS/TS_AverageAge.php
