Detroit Free Press Season Preview - Son of Sam99's Blog

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Son of Sam99's Blog

Detroit Free Press Season Preview

Posted on August 18, 2015 at 05:53 PM.

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September30, 2013

Detroit, MI- Despite front office turmoil the Red Wings players and coaches will have to gain their focus as the NHL regular season begins in earnest this week. Head Coach Mike Babcock has made it clear that he expects the team to improve on their 24-16-8 record (over 48 games) from the 2012-13 lockout shortened season.

The roster this season contains a combination of seasoned veterans like scoring leaders Pavel Datsuyk and Henrik Zetterberg as well as promising young prospects like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Danny Dekeyser.

Detroit Red Wings Forwards - 2013-14
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LW	G. Nyquist	J. Abdelkader	T. Tatar	D. Cleary
C	P. Datsyuk	H. Zetterberg	D. Helm	S. Weiss
RW	J. Franzen	T. Bertuzzi	D. Legwand	D. Alfredsson

There is minimal personnel movement among the top twelve forwards and although fans can expect Head Coach Mike Babcock to shift players around as necessary this is how the lines parings should look on opening night. The first and second lines each have a nice mixture of speed, scoring talent, and grit while the third and fourth lines add depth to the team. We�ll see if anything changes here in the short term as word around the league says that the team is shopping Daniel Alfredsson around in an attempt to clear cap space.

Detroit Red Wings Defensive Parings - 2013-14
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
D #1	N. Kronwall	B. Smith	J. Ericsson
D #2	K. Quincey	J. Kindl	D. DeKeyser

The blue line will once again be anchored by Nicklas Kronwall but youngsters like Brendan Smith and Danny DeKeyser will have to step up and prove that they belong. Kyle Quincey is in a contract year and could potentially cash in after the season if he proves himself to be worth it. Analysts are predicting the defense to be the Wings� biggest strength coming into the season.

Goalies- Howard - Gustavsson

In the goalie crease the Wings will rely on mostly on Jimmy Howard who will be entering his fifth season with the team. Last season Howard posted a sterling 2.13 goals against average and .923 save percentage in 42 games. If he can produce more numbers like that he�ll establish himself as a truly elite NHL goaltender. In the backup role Jonas Gustavsson should carry an expanded role from last season, if he can remain solid then the team should be in great shape between the pipes.

AHLers to Watch For

The Red Wings� farm system is in great shape thanks to the front office consistently fostering solid young players. This season fans could see the likes of forward Riley Sheahan, Joakim Andersson and Tomas Jurco at Joe Lewis Arena if the big club requires their services. Goalie Petr Mrazek is widely regarded as the franchise�s top prospect though most pundits agree he needs another year in the minors to grow his abilities.