~THIS IS HOCKEYTOWN~ 2020-21 Detroit Red Wings (NHL 21)

[ktd1976]

DETROIT RED WINGS 2020-21 SEASON PREVIEW

The 2019-20 NHL season was one to forget for the Detroit Red Wings. In a season shortened by the Covid-19 virus, the Red Wings managed only 17 wins, and 39 points, finishing dead last in the NHL. Even worse, they fell to the 4th pick in the Draft, selecting Lucas Raymond, a forward from the Frolunda Indians. General Manager Steve Yzerman was determined to improve the team through free agency, without handcuffing the team with bad contracts like his predecessor had done.

After originally announcing that head coach Jeff Blashill would return for the 2020-21 season, Yzerman reversed course, and fired the coach, instead turning to an unproven coach in Kyle Dutcher. "We felt we needed a change. For whatever reason, Blash wasn't getting everything out of the players, so we needed to go in a different direction. Kyle will be strict, tough, but fair." said Yzerman. When asked how he would treat the players, Dutcher responded only with this memorable quote. "The name on the back of the jersey doesn't matter. That symbol on the front, that Winged Wheel.....THAT is what matters. I don't care who you are, what your name is, if you aren't producing, aren't working hard, you aren't going to play."

In the offseason, the Red Wings first bought out the contract of Justin Abdelkader. Then, in free agency, Yzerman added Defensemen Jon Merrill, and Troy Stecher. A pair of not flashy, but very good defensemen. Detroit also added winger Bobby Ryan. Ryan only had 5 goals last season in 24 games with the Ottawa Senators, but he is just the low risk, high reward player Yzerman was looking for. Before last season, Ryan had had double digit goal totals in the previous 11 seasons.

Detroit also added center/winger Vladislav Namestnikov, who had a combined 17 goals and 31 points in 65 games between Ottawa, Colorado, and the Rangers. He will bring depth on the second/third line.

Perhaps the biggest need for the Red Wings was goaltender. Jonathan Bernier was very good playing behind Detroit's porous defense last year, but Jimmy Howard was awful, and was not brought back. Instead, Yzerman signed Thomas Greiss away from the New York Islanders. Greiss was 17-9-4 as a back up in New York, and he is expected to challenge Bernier for the #1 spot in Detroit. Said Dutcher of the goaltending situation..."They are both gonna play. If they both play well, they will both keep playing, but if one of them steps up, they will get the majority of the workload"

Detroit returns it's top line of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, and Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi is coming off back to back 21 goal seasons. Larkin's goal total dropped from 32 to 19 last season, and his point total dropped by 20. Mantha got off to a hot start, then promptly got injured for the second straight season. Still, he managed 16 goals and 38 points in 43 games.

Robby Fabbri,was picked up on waivers from St. Louis after a couple poor seasons, and a horrible start last season. He rebounded, scoring 14 goals and adding 17 assists in 52 games with the Wings. He will center the second line, likely with Bobby Ryan, and Filip Zadina. The Wings are looking for big things from the former 4th overall pick in Zadina. He scored 8 goals in 28 games last season, before being injured and missing quite a bit of time.

The rest of the roster is filled with role players for the most part. Still, the Wings should be able to roll out two pretty good lines, and should be much improved on defense, and between the pipes, making the playoffs a possibility.

Detroit Red Wings Depth Chart - 2020-21
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LW	Tyler Bertuzzi	Filip Zadina	Vladislav Namestnikov	Darren Helm
C	Dylan Larkin	Robby Fabbri	Valtteri Filppula	Frans Nielsen
RW	Anthony Mantha	Bobby Ryan	Sam Gagner	Luke Glendening
D #1	Jon Merrill	Danny DeKeyser	Marc Staal
D #2	Filip Hronek	Troy Stecher	Patrik Nemeth
G	Thomas Greiss	Jonathan Bernier

[ktd1976]

RED WINGS 7 BLUE JACKETS 2 OCTOBER 4, 2020

The Detroit Red Wings opened the 2020-21 season with a dominating 7-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Ceasars Arena. Bobby Ryan had a hat trick in his Red Wings debut. Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Luke Glendening also scored for the Wings.

Detroit opened the scoring just 42 seconds into the game when Mantha took a Larkin pass, and walked in on Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, and beat him clean. Dylan Larkin made it 2-0 less than a minute later, when he converted a cross crease pass from Tyler Bertuzzi. Bobby Ryan scored a pair of goals a minute and five seconds apart, making it 4-0 at the end of one period. Filip Zadina assisted on both goals.

Thomas Greiss stopped 18 of 20 shots for his first win as a Red Wing.

The Red Wings will head out west for a pair of games Wednesday and Thursday against the LA Kings, and Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Bernier is expected to start Wednesday in LA, with Greiss likely back between the pipes on Thursday against the Ducks.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings
Oct 4, 2020 1 2 3 F CBJ (0-1-0) 0 0 2 2 DET (1-0-0) 5 2 0 7 Three Stars B. Ryan 3 Goals (3) T. Bertuzzi Goal (1), Assist A. Mantha Goal (1), Assist	Team Stats Comparison CBJ DET Shots on Goal 20 20 Hits 13 7 Faceoffs Won-Lost 7 27 Penalty Minutes 2:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 1 Time on Attack 6:05 3:47
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD DET 00:42 A. Mantha (1) (D. Larkin, J. Merrill) DET 01:29 D. Larkin (1) (T. Bertuzzi, A. Mantha) DET 15:17 T. Bertuzzi (1) (Unassisted) DET 16:44 B. Ryan (1) (F. Zadina) DET 17:49 B. Ryan (2) (F. Zadina, M. Staal) SECOND PERIOD DET 08:44 B. Ryan (3) (D. Helm) DET 09:41 L. Glendening (1) (D. Helm, F. Nielsen) THIRD PERIOD CBJ 02:36 N. Foligno (1) (A. Texier, B. Jenner) CBJ 11:00 M. Domi (1) (M. Koivu, C. Atkinson)

NHL STANDINGS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2122288578

RED WINGS STATS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1599450244

[ktd1976]

RED WINGS 5 KINGS 2 OCTOBER 7. 2020

The Red Wings won their second in a row Wednesday night, as they beat the LA Kings 5-2. Dylan Larkin, Troy Stecher, Anthony Mantha, Patrik Nemeth, and Darren Helm each scored a goal for the Red Wings.

For the second straight game, the Red Wings jumped out in front early, on Dylan Larkin's goal at 1:43 of the first. Stecher and Mantha scored early in the second, to put the Wings up 3-0. La pulled to within a goal early in the third, but the Wings put it away on goals by Nemeth and Helm.

Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 of 24 shots, earning his first win of the season. Jonathan Quick took the loss for the Kings, stopping 15 of the 20 shots he faced.

Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings
Oct 7, 2020 1 2 3 F DET (2-0-0) 1 2 2 5 LAK (1-1-0) 0 0 2 2 Three Stars A. Mantha Goal (2) Assist D. Larkin Goal (2) Assist C. Wilson Goal (1)	Team Stats Comparison DET LAK Shots on Goal 20 24 Hits 12 9 Faceoffs Won-Lost 24 13 Penalty Minutes 5:00 17:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 5 0 Time on Attack 4:34 6:21
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD DET 1:43 D. Larkin (1) (A. Mantha) SECOND PERIOD DET 2:03 T. Stecher (1) (S. Gagner, V. Filppula) DET 5:36 A. Mantha (2) (F. Zadina, D. Larkin) THIRD PERIOD LAK 4:19 A. Kempe (1) (D, Brown, M. Roy) LAK 4:49 C. Wilson (1) (J. Carter) DET 6:35 P. Nemeth (1) (M. Staal, V. Filppula) DET 9:21 D. Helm (1) (L. Glendening, F. Nielsen)

NHL STANDINGS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2122288578

RED WINGS STATS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1599450244

[ktd1976]

RED WINGS 4 DUCKS 1 OCTOBER 8, 2020

Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks
Oct 8, 2020 1 2 3 F DET (3-0-0) 1 1 2 4 ANA (1-1-1) 0 0 1 1 Three Stars T. Greiss 23 saves V. Namestnikov Goal (1) Assist J. Silfverberg Goal (1)	Team Stats Comparison DET ANA Shots on Goal 36 24 Hits 13 13 Faceoffs Won-Lost 28 11 Penalty Minutes 0:00 14:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 7 0 Time on Attack 5:19 5:43
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD DET 7:23 S. Gagner (1) (V. Namestnikov, M. Staal) SECOND PERIOD DET 9:35 D. Helm (2) (L. Glendening) THIRD PERIOD ANA 1:12 J. Silfverberg (1) (R. Getzlaf, J, Manson) DET 6:31 D. Larkin (3) pp (T. Bertuzzi, D. DeKeyser) DET 19:48 V. Namestnikov (1) en (J. Merrill, V. Filppula)

NHL STANDINGS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2122288578

RED WINGS STATS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1599450244

[ktd1976]

RED WINGS 3 MAPLE LEAFS 0 OCTOBER 11, 2020

Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings
Oct 11, 2020 1 2 3 F TOR (3-2-0) 0 0 0 0 DET (4-0-0) 1 0 2 3 Three Stars J. Bernier 30 Saves D. Larkin 2 Assists T. Bertuzzi 2 Assists	Team Stats Comparison TOR DET Shots on Goal 30 34 Hits 13 9 Faceoffs Won-Lost 12 29 Penalty Minutes 8:00 4:00 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 2 4 Time on Attack 6:24 5:58
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD DET 1:35 R. Fabbri (1) pp (B. Ryan, V. Filppula) THIRD PERIOD DET 1:11 A. Mantha (3) (D. Larkin, T. Bertuzzi) DET 10:30 V. Namestnikov (2) (D. Larkin, T Bertuzzi)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA A. Dell 34 31 91% 3.00
Toronto Maple Leafs - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM K. Agostino 10:01 0 0 0 0 0 T. Brodie 19:56 0 0 0 2 0 P. Engvall 13:51 0 0 0 4 0 Z. Hyman 23:36 0 0 -1 2 0 A. Johnsson 13:59 0 0 0 2 0 A. Kerfoot 11:16 0 0 0 2 0 T. Liljegren 19:49 0 0 0 4 0 M. Marner 14:49 0 0 -2 1 2 A. Matthews 16:28 0 0 -2 2 0 J. Muzzin 22:57 0 0 -1 0 2 W. Nylander 19:35 0 0 -1 3 4 N. Petan 07:39 0 0 0 0 0 M. Rielly 22:44 0 0 -2 0 0 E. Rodriguez 16:26 0 0 0 0 0 R. Sandin 13:49 0 0 0 0 0 W. Simmonds 13:02 0 0 0 3 0 J. Spezza 14:26 0 0 -1 2 0 J. Tavares 18:32 0 0 0 3 0
Detroit Red Wings - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA J. Bernier 30 30 100% 0.00
Detroit Red Wings - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM T. Bertuzzi 21:04 0 2 1 2 0 D. DeKeyser 17:01 0 0 0 0 0 R. Fabbri 19:25 1 0 0 2 0 V. Filppula 14:03 0 1 0 2 0 S. Gagner 11:13 0 0 0 1 0 L. Glendening 10:45 0 0 0 1 2 D. Helm 09:27 0 0 0 1 0 F. Hronek 23:09 0 0 0 1 0 D. Larkin 18:44 0 2 2 1 0 A. Mantha 19:40 1 0 1 3 0 J. Merrill 24:20 0 0 1 1 0 V. Namestnikov 10:32 1 0 1 2 2 P. Nemeth 16:22 0 0 2 3 0 F. Nielsen 9:36 0 0 0 0 0 B. Ryan 17:28 0 1 0 4 0 M. Staal 15:25 0 0 1 1 0 T. Stecher 20:18 0 0 0 2 0 F. Zadina 17:30 0 0 1 4 0

NHL STANDINGS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2122288578

RED WINGS STATS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1599450244

[ktd1976]

RED WINGS 3 BRUINS 0

Detroit Red Wings at Boston Bruins
Oct 13, 2020 1 2 3 F DET (5-0-0) 1 0 2 3 BOS (1-4-0) 0 0 0 0 Three Stars T. Greiss 29 Saves T. Rask 28 Saves F. Zadina Goal (1) Assist	Team Stats Comparison DET BOS Shots on Goal 31 29 Hits 14 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 33 8 Penalty Minutes 2:00 10:00 Power Plays Converted 2 0 Power Play Opportunities 5 1 Time on Attack 5:32 5:45
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD DET 3:32 V. Namestnikov (3)pp (B. Ryan, F. Zadina) THIRD PERIOD DET 4:17 B. Ryan (4) pp (T. Stecher, V. Namestnikov) DET 19:33 F. Zadina (1) en (J. Merrill, R. Fabbri)
Detroit Red Wings - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA T. Greiss 29 29 100% 0.00
Detroit Red Wings - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM T. Bertuzzi 18:48 0 0 0 1 0 A. Biega 15:06 0 0 0 1 0 R. Fabbri 17:34 0 1 1 2 0 V. Filppula 12:43 0 0 0 2 0 S. Gagner 12:19 0 0 0 1 0 L. Glendening 11:39 0 0 0 2 0 D. Helm 11:39 0 0 0 1 0 F. Hronek 23:56 0 0 1 2 0 D. Larkin 18:16 0 0 0 2 0 A. Mantha 20:15 0 0 0 5 0 J. Merrill 20:42 0 1 1 0 2 V. Namestnikov 15:35 1 1 0 3 0 P. Nemeth 14:52 0 0 0 1 0 F. Nielsen 13:23 0 0 0 0 0 B. Ryan 15:09 1 1 1 1 0 M. Staal 13:50 0 0 0 0 0 T. Stecher 22:45 0 1 0 1 0 F. Zadina 20:06 1 1 1 5 0
Boston Bruins - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA T. Rask 30 28 93% 2.02
Boston Bruins - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM P. Bergeron 16:52 0 0 -1 1 2 A. Bjork 8:45 0 0 0 1 0 B. Carlo 20:13 0 0 0 0 0 C. Coyle 14:58 0 0 0 2 2 J. DeBrusk 14:59 0 0 0 6 2 M. Grzelcyk 19:28 0 0 -1 2 0 D. Krejci 16:18 0 0 0 1 0 S. Kuraly 13:12 0 0 0 1 0 P. Lindholm 15:29 0 0 -1 1 0 B. Marchand 17:36 0 0 0 0 0 C. McAvoy 21:49 0 0 -1 0 0 K. Miller 19:01 0 0 0 0 0 J. Moore 19:12 0 0 0 0 2 D. Pastrnak 19:48 0 0 0 6 0 B. Ritchie 10:14 0 0 -1 1 2 C. Smith 15:27 0 0 0 4 0 U. Vaakanainen 18:42 0 0 0 0 0 C. Wagner 10:19 0 0 -1 3 0

NHL STANDINGS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2122288578

RED WINGS STATS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1599450244

[ktd1976]

YZERMAN DOESN'T RULE OUT POSSIBILITY OF ACQUIRING CURRENT RFA'S

With their respective teams in cap crunches, there are still seven RFA's still unsigned. With the Red Wings off to a fast 5-0 start, GM Steve Yzerman was asked about the possibility of going after one of them, either by an offer sheet, or trading for their rights. Yzerman stated that he was exploring all options.

"We have a plan in place. But, if we keep playing as well as we have, there is room for the plan to be accelerated, for sure." He said. "There are some really good, young players out there that are still unsigned. Any one of them would fit right into our lineup."

The Red Wings are in a unique position. Not only do they have around $8 million in cap space, plenty of room to take on a contract or two, but they also have an influx of draft picks in next year's draft. The Red Wings have three 2nd round picks, theirs, along with the Oilers, and the Rangers. They also have a pair of 3rd round picks, theirs and the Golden Knights. Plenty of room to maneuver, and plenty of assets to offer in a possible trade.


There are some really good players. Mathew Barzal, of the New York Islanders, tops the list. Barzal has 59 goals, and 207 points in 234 career games. He would instantly become the Red Wing's 2nd line center, and give them a good 1-2 punch. However, he is reportedly asking for almost $8 million per year. Signing Barzal to an offer sheet at that amount would cost the Red Wings this year's first three rounds of picks, and possibly next year's first rounder. Almost certainly too steep of a price. However, there are other intriguing players still out there.

Another Islander still unsigned, is defensmen Ryan Pulock. Pulock has 37 goals and 108 points in 234 career games. He is also just 26 years old. He is reportedly seeking a 5 year contract worth around $4 million per year. If the Wings were to ink him to an offer sheet, and keep it under $4.22 million, then he would only cost a 2nd round draft pick as compensation. With the Wings having three 2nd round picks, that might be tempting.

The other remaining RFA's that are unsigned are Defenseman Vince Dunn (St. Louis Blues) Travis Dermott (Toronto Maple Leafs) Ethan Bear (Edmonton Oilers) and wingers Ilya Mikheyev (Maple Leafs) and Jordan Greenway (Minnesota Wild.)

It has long been an unwritten rule that teams don't poach other team's RFA's by signing them to offer sheets. However, with these teams in sever cap crunches, other teams acquiring the rights to these players cannot be ruled out.

Stay tuned.

[ktd1976]

RED WINGS 4 CANADIANS 1 OCTOBER 15, 2020

Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens
Oct 15, 2020 1 2 3 F DET (6-0-0) 0 2 2 4 MON (2-3-0) 0 1 0 1 Three Stars A. Mantha Goal (4) 2 Assist J. Bernier 31 Saves D. Larkin Goal (4) Assist	Team Stats Comparison DET MON Shots on Goal 29 32 Hits 8 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 35 11 Penalty Minutes 0:00 14:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 7 0 Time on Attack 5:20 5:35
Scoring Summary SECOND PERIOD MON 1:18 J. Drouin (2) (P. Danault) DET 3:11 S. Gagner (2) (V. Filppula, V. Namestnikov) THIRD PERIOD DET 10:44 T. Bertuzzi (2) pp (A. Mantha, T. Stecher) DET 1:40 D. Larkin (4) (A. Mantha) DET 3:05 A. Mantha (4) (F. Zadina, D. Larkin)
Detroit Red Wings - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA J. Bernier 32 31 97% 1.00
Detroit Red Wings - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM T. Bertuzzi 21:34 1 0 0 8 0 A. Biega 17:07 0 0 1 0 0 R. Fabbri 14:25 0 0 0 1 0 V. Filppula 16:45 0 1 1 3 0 11:28S. Gagner 11:28 1 0 1 1 0 L. Glendening 11:46 0 0 0 0 0 D. Helm 9:40 0 0 0 1 0 F. Hronek 24:34 0 0 1 1 0 D. Larkin 20:25 1 1 1 3 0 A. Mantha 19:41 1 2 1 1 0 J. Merrill 17:19 0 0 1 0 0 V. Namestnikov 16:28 0 1 1 1 0 P. Nemeth 16:12 0 0 0 0 0 F. Nielsen 11:39 0 0 0 3 0 B. Ryan 16:06 0 0 0 3 0 M. Staal 17:25 0 0 1 0 0 T. Stecher 18:12 0 1 0 0 0 F. Zadina 19:16 0 1 1 3 0
Montreal Canadiens - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA C. Price 29 25 86% 4.00
Montreal Canadiens - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM J. Anderson 12:00 0 0 0 5 0 J. Armia 6:08 0 0 0 1 2 P. Byron 11:15 0 0 0 2 0 B. Chiarot 17:29 0 0 -1 0 0 P. Danault 19:04 0 1 -1 1 4 J. Drouin 19:47 1 0 -1 6 2 J. Edmundson 19:27 0 0 -1 0 2 B. Gallagher 20:52 0 0 -1 3 0 C. Hudon 4:36 0 0 0 0 0 J. Kotkaniemi 13:51 0 0 0 2 0 B. Kulak 17:46 0 0 0 2 0 A. Lehkonen 14:53 0 0 0 3 0 X. Ouellet 19:53 0 0 0 0 2 J. Petry 22:24 0 0 -1 1 2 N. Suzuki 17:23 0 0 -1 3 0 T. Tatar 14:39 0 0 -1 2 0 T. Toffoli 14:00 0 0 -1 1 0 S. Weber 23:20 0 0 -1 0 0

NHL STANDINGS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=2122288578

RED WINGS STATS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1599450244