After a 4-1 win Wednesday night in Chicago, the Detroit Red Wings are now 6-5-1 — even if it hasn’t felt that way in a season that has been largely defined by Detroit’s struggle to generate offense.
And make no mistake, the Red Wings still have real issues to solve at both ends of the ice. Their recent wins over the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres were much needed, but now tough tests against the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers (who had previously beaten Detroit twice) loomed.
But before that, let’s take a look at a few players who are trending up, and some who are trending down so far this season.
Heading up
The pairing of Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson
This has been by far the bright spot in Detroit’s young season. Seider was already one of the Red Wings’ best players, and Edvinsson entered the season expected to play in a top-four role right away despite only playing 25 games in the NHL. But when the season started slow for Detroit, coach Derek Lalonde was quick to put the two young players together on the No. 1 pair — and fed them a heavy dose of the NHL’s toughest minutes.
Sider was used to it, of course, but it was a huge demand for Edvinsson so early in his career. But the two are passing the test so far and put together another solid matchup on Wednesday. It’s easy to envision them as a pair for many years to come, using their length and mobility to stifle opponents’ transition chances and their skating and puck play to help initiate transition.
Now, the downside to their pairing is that Detroit takes some blocks when they’re not on the ice. This is something they will continue to discover. If the second and third pair have trouble, the Red Wings may eventually have to split the No. 6 picks. But that time has not come yet.
In fact, either or both of these two could have made this list as individuals as well, as Edvinsson has succeeded so quickly in such a difficult role and Seider has produced more offensively so far – something Detroit certainly wanted to see after signing him to a 1-year contract. Seven years. , a $59.85 million contract extension this fall. His assist on Joe Velino’s goal on Wednesday has given him eight points in 12 games so far, and he’s taken over the top power play as well.
Andrew Cobb
Cobb received his fair share of criticism in his first two years in Detroit, as he saw less offensive production while playing mostly an identical role for the Red Wings. He started this season that way as well, finding himself playing on the fourth line at one point early this season.
But give him credit — he’s reached seven points in 12 games, with five goals after adding an empty-netter on Wednesday. These numbers won’t set the world on fire, and the goals themselves weren’t all works of art, but they reflect a player playing perhaps at the highest level he reached as a red winger.
As part of that, he earned a promotion to the second line recently — and if he can stay there, playing opposite Lucas Raymond (Detroit’s leading producer thus far) will leave him plenty of room to add more offensively.
Even if he eventually drops out of the lineup, Cobb’s start to the season has served as an important reminder that his game is not entirely validated. That’s part of the package, sure, but his hockey sense is high and he’s capable of bringing some forechecking and playmaking to a top-six line. That’s what he’s done so far, and for a team that has struggled to score, these five goals are a welcome development.
Andrew Cobb scored more goals than in previous seasons with Detroit. (Gregory Shamos/Getty Images)
Detroit’s goalkeeping duo
I was a little criticized for not spending more time with the Red Wings’ goaltenders in a previous analysis of Detroit’s young season, so we’ll give the netminders flowers here.
Out of peak season, The athleteDetroit’s Jesse Granger ranked the current goalie situation 32nd out of 32 teams. But they’ve been great so far and are the biggest reason the Red Wings have stayed above .500 through 12 games.
Not every game was perfect, of course, but after stopping 28 of 29 shots against the Blackhawks on Wednesday, Cam Talbot has an impressive save percentage of .929, and Alex Lyon is at .916. This is well above the league average, and even more impressive considering the volume of shots they faced.
Now, however, Detroit may have allowed some extra size during the breakdown to keep shots out, which helps goalies get out. But they’re still holding up their end of the bargain, and both rank among the top 20 teams leaguewide Advanced hockeyGoals saved above expectations.
How long they can maintain this level of play is a fair question, but sharing the workload would help both goalkeepers stay relatively fresh, which is key after Detroit wore down Leon in the second half of last season.
If they can maintain anything near that level, they will give the Red Wings a chance most nights.
Trending downward
Eric Gustafson
Gustafsson had perhaps his best showing of his young season on Wednesday in Chicago, so the timing here is a bit off. But for the most part, those first 12 games in Detroit haven’t been consistent with a 2024 free-agent signing — starting with the fact that he was scratched for four of them.
That’s not ideal for a player who was signed to replace Shayne Gostisbehere as the team’s best center fielder, especially because even when he’s been in the lineup recently, he’s already ceded that role to Seider.
Erik Gustafsson has struggled to live up to his predecessor’s contributions thus far. (Rick Osentoski/Imagine Images)
It’s a long season, and Gustafsson may reclaim that role before all is said and done, but the early scratches weren’t just bad luck. Entering Wednesday, the Red Wings were making just 30 percent of their expected goals when they were on the ice in a five-on-five game, according to Evolving Hockey. Although that number will rise after a strong showing against the Blackhawks, it’s also worth noting that he played the least of Detroit’s back six with 15:01.
Gustafsson’s $2 million salary isn’t going to break the bank, which doesn’t mean he’s burdened with much of the team’s struggles: He’s a third-tier D player in a protected role, so the problems run much deeper. The duo above him, for example, between Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petrie, has had a lot of difficulties in its own right and plays a much bigger role.
But Gustafsson was supposed to be Gostisbehere’s replacement, and perhaps there has never been an absence as strong as Gostisbehere’s so far — not so much on the power play, where Detroit has been very good, but in helping break up pucks and create offense at five-on-five.
He has time to adjust to things, and Wednesday was a step in the right direction. But you have to think Detroit was hoping things would go more smoothly than they have so far.
Crime of Vladimir Tarasenko
Not a great sign to have two new free agent signings in this class less than a month into the season, right? But that’s where things stand, as Tarasenko has just 3 points in 11 games (he missed one point due to illness).
Now, Tarasenko was signed in part to bring some of the heavyweights Detroit lost when David Perron went to the Ottawa Senators, and some of that has shown. He made an honest effort on the forehand shot and had a great defensive play on Connor Bedard on Wednesday, erasing Petry’s turnover. These matters are important, and should not be taken lightly. Detroit needs him to be more than just a shooter.
In fact, there are a few players who are causing Detroit so much offense right now. So far, the Red Wings have relied heavily on Dylan Larkin (eight goals), Alex DeBrincat (six) and Raymond (11 assists) to score.
But the biggest reason for bringing in Tarasenko, of course, is to help with that — and to replace the vast amount of offense Detroit has lost this season with Perron, Robby Fabbri and Daniel Sprung. Although there is still time, he has been suspended from scoring for five consecutive matches.
In Tarasenko’s defense, the game he missed may not have been the only game he was affected by the dysfunction surrounding Detroit’s locker room. His time in the top six was short at the start of the season. But on the flip side, the Red Wings weren’t getting much going as a team with him on the second line versus Kane either.
The chemistry with young players Marco Kasper and Jonathan Berggren has looked good in some spots and seems worth keeping together, but at some point, the Red Wings need more production from Tarasenko.
Attack is not his only asset, but it is important nonetheless.
(Top image by Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
