Forwards
As much as age was a predominant factor on the blueline, underperformance was a central theme for Detroit up front. The Wings were 25th in goals (207) and did not see an uptick in the performance of many of their forwards. The exceptions to that rule were team captain Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Tatar.
Zetterberg scored 68 points (his best production since 2012) and is still a dangerous offensive weapon, but the 36-year-old indicated this summer that he plans to retire after the 2018-19 season. Tatar led the Wings with 25 goals and was rewarded with a four-year, $21.2 Million extension this summer.
Gustav Nyquist was second to Zetterberg in team scoring but tallied a career-low 12 goals, Justin Abdelkader’s point total dropped by 50 percent (42 points in 16-17, 21 points last season), Riley Sheahan went goalless until the final week of the regular season, and Luke Glendening scored three goals in 74 games.
A cause for optimism is Detroit’s group of young forwards. Dylan Larkin regressed in his sophomore season (dropping from 45 points as a rookie to 32 last season), but is incredibly talented and should bounce back. Big winger Anthony Mantha tallied 17 goals in 60 games. Speedy Andreas Athanasiou scored 18 goals in 64 games, but currently is an unsigned restricted free agent.
Defense
The Red Wings blueline was once their strength, with future Hall-of-Famer Nicklas Lidstrom and hard-hitting Niklas Kronwall leading the way, but Lidstrom is retired, and the majority of the Detroit defense is over the age of 30 and on the downslope of their careers.
The 36-year-old Kronwall was limited to 57 games last season with chronic knee problems. 33-year-old Jonathan Ericsson has slowed and missed nearly two months with a wrist injury. 31-year-old Mike Green led the Wings in defensive scoring with 36 points, but is entering the final year of a three-year contract.
GM Ken Holland did not make his blueline group much younger with the free agent signing of 33-year-old Stanley Cup winner Trevor Daley for three years.
Danny Dekeyser, fresh off signing a six-year, $30 Million contract extension, had the worst offensive year of his career, with just 12 points in 82 games.
Youngsters Xavier Ouellet, Nick Jensen, Ryan Sproul and Robbie Russo saw significant game action with the slew of injuries and the deadline trade of Brendan Smith to New York and could see an increased role with age and durability becoming a factor.
Goalies
Petr Mrazek appeared set to take over the goaltending duties from veteran Jimmy Howard, but the 25-year-old netminder struggled mightily as the Wings primary starter last season, finishing under .500, with a 3.04 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 50 games.
Conversely, Howard had his best season in years, with a sparkling .927 save percentage and 2.10 GAA. Howard is the #1 heading into training camp, but the 33-year-old’s ability to play 55-60 games may make the Detroit goaltending more of a platoon situation.
Questions
Looking ahead to trade deadline – if sellers who could be on the move. If buyers, what area might they need to improve? Green could be one of the more sought after rental defensemen come the February 26th trade deadline, but Holland may have to retain some of his $6 Million salary to get full value. There were rumors of Sheahan being shopped last season because of his offensive struggles, and that could pop up again if he has similar problems.
Detroit has needs in all areas, so on the off-chance that they are in playoff contention, they could upgrade by adding a scoring forward or depth on defense.
What rookies could make the team? Evgeni Svechnikov and Tyler Bertuzzi had trial runs late last season after successful AHL campaigns. Svechnikov, a 2015 first round pick, scored 20 goals in his first pro season with Grand Rapids and Bertuzzi, 22, had 37 points in 48 games with the Griffins.
Which player could take a step forward this season? Larkin appeared on par with most of the bumper crop of the 2015 rookie class, scoring 23 goals in 2015-16, but the sophomore slump hit the 2014 top pick the hardest. The 21-year-old center should bounce back with a big season and resume his course towards being a core player for the next decade.
Which players could regress? Nyquist looked to be a future foundation piece, scoring 55 goals in his first two seasons, but his production has been on the steady decline the last two. With younger players like Mantha and Athanasiou (once signed) vying for more ice time and a bigger offensive role, Nyquist must break out of his downward spiral.
Are there any training camp battles expected? Veterans David Booth and P-A Parenteau were brought in on professional tryouts, but most likely as insurance in case some of the organization’s young forwards are not ready. Bertuzzi could fit in a third line or fourth line energy role, while Svechnikov might have to earn a spot on a scoring line to break into the Detroit lineup.
