With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Detroit Red Wings.
Last Season: 33-36-13 record (79 points), seventh in Atlantic Division (missed playoffs)
Remaining Cap Space: $-3.02MM per CapFriendly—including Johan Franzen ($3.95MM), who will go on LTIR.
Key Additions: D Trevor Daley (free agency, Pittsburgh), F/D Luke Witkowski (free agency, Tampa Bay), F David Booth (PTO), F P.A. Parenteau (PTO)
Key Departures: F Drew Miller (free agency, unsigned), F Andreas Athanasiou (RFA, unsigned)
[Related: Detroit Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: F Anthony Mantha – Mantha is an enigma for many Red Wings fans. Despite having the size, strength and skating ability to be a dominant force in the league, he at times drifts into the background or disappears completely. His coaching staff has felt the same, moving him into the press box at times during his rookie campaign, and ultimately demanding more from him on a game-by-game basis.
This year will be a telling one. Mantha comes into the year after scoring 17 goals and 36 points in just 60 games, but even their distribution showed his inconsistency. Seven goals and fifteen points came in a 12-game span in the middle of the season, where he showed off just how forceful he can be with the right work ethic. He would score just 14 points in the remaining 32 games.
Now, with the Red Wings pivoting towards their youth and a sort of on-the-fly rebuild, Mantha must be better. At 23, the time is now for him to prove that he can be more than just a secondary scoring threat, and team up with other youngsters like Dylan Larkin to bring the next wave of Detroit success.
Key Storyline: Last year after the Red Wings fell out of contention, they did something they hadn’t done in some time. At the trade deadline, they moved Brendan Smith, Tomas Jurco and Thomas Vanek for future assets. That idea of selling mid-season is something almost entirely foreign to this generation of Red Wings fans, as the team hadn’t missed the playoffs since 1990.
Going into this season with a new arena and new hopes, the team will have to make a similar decision. If they aren’t competing for a playoff spot in early 2018, selling off some assets is a necessary next step. Though they’re expected to struggle once again, the team is over the cap and used some of their room to bring in a veteran Trevor Daley. That move seemed to show that they weren’t willing to go for a full rebuild, at least not yet.
While there is certainly upside in parts of their roster, players like Mike Green, Gustav Nyquist and Jimmy Howard are all unlikely to be around for the next great Red Wings team. Moving on from them whenever they can would help both the salary structure and the on-ice product down the line. Green especially will be a sought-after commodity at the trade deadline as he heads towards free agency, as the 31-year old can still provide offense from the back end. He has a full no-trade clause that would have to be worked around though, taking away some of the Red Wings’ leverage in trade talks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ken Holland needs to move on from his cushy GM position before he ruins this team any further. Between him & Jeff Blashill, they have criticized both AA & Anthony Mantha in the press & also in public. What does that do to a young guys confidence & psyche? My opinion is that both Holland & Blashill need to go before they completely ruin this proud Original Six franchise.