2010-2011 Red Wings Season Preview

by Casey Richey on Sep 30, 2010 10:01 AM CDT in Opinion

JJ and I brought you a preview for each player during the off-season but now it's time to look at the team as a whole. Players are good and all but it's how they play as a team that matters, just look at the Washington Capitals! Did I say that? Moving along...We'll take a look at departures and arrivals, strengths and weaknesses, and some other factors for the team heading into the saddest season in recent history. One in which we will continuously hear "defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks"...that makes me shiver typing that.

2009-2010 Season Review:
What a nightmare of a regular season it was. Injuries left and right to big time players like Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg unglued the plan for the Red Wings and the team had to scrap and fight for the playoffs far more than any other time in recent memory. Up until the Olympic break, things looked pretty bleak but Detroit turned everything around in tremendous fashion and began looking like the team that everyone had expected them to be. The playoffs came and an intense seven game series with the Phoenix Coyotes was first up. The series provided some excellent memories such as the Doanface, throwing the snake, Abby's MMA debut, and of course shutting up Phoenix fans at home during game seven with style. Then came the San Jose Sharks and fans were witness to truly excellent officiating work. Detroit's only highlight during the series was the Muletrick in front of the Joe Louis crowd in game 4, preventing a sweep.

The remainder of the preview follows the jump...

Who's In (or back for seconds): Jiri Hudler (Moscow Dynamo, KHL), Mike Modano (Dallas Stars), Ruslan Salei (Colorado Avalanche)

Who's Out: Brett Lebda (Toronto Maple Leafs), Andreas Lila (unsigned), Jason Williams (unsigned)

Team Strengths:

In net:Jimmy Howard had an excellent breakout rookie season in 2009-2010. In fact, I think he has all the skills to follow that season up in excellent fashion and be a Vezina finalist. He's shown that he's got the skills and mindset to compete at the NHL level and with a defense such as Detroit's in front of him he should have another stellar season in net.

Defense: Detroit suffered some monumental defensive collapses last season and they'll need to right the ship in that department. One way that it seems like they're doing this is by putting Niklas Kronwall with Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski with Brad Stuart. This does two things for the top two defensive pairings: 1.) It gives each pairing a big hitter 2.) It gives each pairing a skilled puck-attacking defenseman. Kronwall and Lidstrom should be an excellent pairing and their offensive skills might help to keep the pressure off in the defensive end because of their ability to keep plays going in the offensive zone. Rafalski and Stuart might take a little time to mesh but Stuart has been a silently good defenseman for the Wings over the years and Rafalski has been as well. The addition of Ruslan Salei might help Jonathan Ericsson with his maturation on the back end.

Offense: Detroit has excellent depth at forward this year. Last season it was a bit thin after Jiri Hudler, Mikael "Shooter" Samuelsson, and Marian Hossa all left for greener pastures. Tomas Kopecky? Yeah, whatever. The offense would have been good but the plethora of injuries had guys like Kris Newbury playing at times. That doesn't translate to much success in the offensive department does it? Jiri Hudler returning and Mike Modano arriving are going to do some excellent things for this team as they give it a tremendously talent third line with Dan Cleary and the top two lines are great, no matter how they get mixed up throughout the course of the year. I honestly think you could do any combination of the top two (maybe even three lines) and get production out of them. Filppula centering a line with Bertuzzi and Franzen is going to produce some major points and Datsyuk being reunited with Zetterberg and Holmstrom is going to be borderline unstoppable I think.

Team Weaknesses:

In net: Jimmy Howard struggled with rebound control and breakaways during the 09-10 campaign and that could be his undoing in the 10-11 campaign. However, the concern for the Wings in net seems more aimed at one Chris Osgood. Osgood struggled pretty bad last season and it forced Howard to take the reigns quicker than expected and more often than expected. If Osgood can't be counted on to backup Howard with success, it may cause Howard to have to play more games, something which could take its toll on him throughout the season.

Defense: The third pairing could be a bit of a question mark for the Wings as Jonathan Ericsson had an atrocious season last year and has still had some trouble in the preseason. I think we could see quite a bit of Jakub Kindl in the line-up if Ericsson is unable to make necessary adjustments.There's also a bit of an uncertainty surround Ruslan Salei's first season in Detroit, but personally I think he'll fit in just fine.

Offense: I honestly really think that the only weakness with this team on offense is deciding where to put everybody. Other than that, it's gravy.

Depth Chart: A quick look at the expected lines...to start the season at least.

Tomas Holmstrom	Pavel Datsyuk	Henrik Zetterberg
Johan Franzen	Valtteri Filppula	Todd Bertuzzi
Jiri Hudler	Mike Modano	Dan Cleary
Justin Abdelkader	Darren Helm	Patrick Eaves

Other forwards: Kris Draper, Drew Miller, Mattias Ritola, Kirk Maltby

Nicklas Lidstrom	Niklas Kronwall
Brian Rafalski	Brad Stuart
Jonathan Ericsson	Ruslan Salei

Other defensemen: Jakub Kindl, Derek Meech

Jimmy Howard

Chris Osgood

Note: Ritola and Meech are likely to be trade or waiver bait.

Players in the minors that could make appearances: Tomas Tatar (F), Doug Janik (D), Jordan Owens (F), Thomas McCollum (G), Joey MacDonald (G)

WIM Predictions:

JJ: I don't feel out of line expecting a division title and a finals berth out of this squad. Considering the Western Conference is the better one, that means I predict Stanley Cup #12 coming to Detroit next June.
Graham: The Wings may be getting older, but the core is intact and the depth has been improved. Cup winners all have outstanding third and fourth lines, and the Wings have a forward corps to match anyone in the NHL. The idea of the Wings in the Finals is not a far-fetched one, and I believe we will witness Cup number 12 being hoisted this June.
Casey: Well, I'm going to jump right on the train above and say I think the Wings will be back in the Finals and will be bringing the Cup back to Detroit. They have immense talent at offense and defense and even if Jimmy Howard does struggle a little bit, they have a good enough team surrounding him that they could pick it up.

Poll

Where will the Red Wings finish in the Western Conference?

1

320 votes

2

199 votes

3

58 votes

4

16 votes

5

8 votes

6

1 votes

7

2 votes

8

1 votes

9 or worse

3 votes

608 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 28 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

i still hate the bitching about the officiating during the SJ series

no need to harp on the officiating – the problem was that SJ players took plenty of dives. blame (or credit) them.

hoping the wings outlast the hawks this season.

by redwingxviii on Sep 30, 2010 10:09 AM CDT reply actions

i posted before watching the video

i’d still prefer you put it on SJ in the article, but that’s funny that we both refer to the diving. god that video makes me mad.

the worst offender was setguchi or whatever his name is. i hate that guy.

by redwingxviii on Sep 30, 2010 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions

the reason i say the officials is this

diving is a separate penalty that can be enforced yet i dont think it was called a single time in that series.

Winging It In Motown

by Casey Richey on Sep 30, 2010 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions

diving is so rarely called though

it’s like blaming the police for not stopping crime instead of blaming the criminal. the officials have a tough job as it is – SJ players flopping every which way doesn’t make it easier.

i get what you’re saying, but i’d love to get rid of the stigma that wings fans cry about officiating too much.

by redwingxviii on Sep 30, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions

I think I’m usually levelheaded when it comes to blaming officiating but the San Jose series was ab-so-lute-ly ridiculous.

Winging It In Motown

by Casey Richey on Sep 30, 2010 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions

fair enough

i think we’re agreeing mostly, i’m just saying that series was ridiculous because SJ played a completely garbage style that made it harder to officiate. doesn’t necessarily excuse the officiating, but i hate SJ more than the officials.

i like JJ from Kansas’ solutions (below)

by redwingxviii on Sep 30, 2010 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Personally

I think diving is a worse offense than hooking and should be punished more severely because it’s horrible for the sport. I stopped following soccer because of the diving and it’s one (of the many, many) reasons I don’t watch NBA basketball.

As a fix though, since it is hard to call in a game (if you’re wrong, you’re VERY VERY wrong and once you give a player that stigma, it sucks for him), I’d say that the obvious ones should be noted by the league and lead to fines for the first two offenses before they move on to suspensions. I’m that serious about getting rid of diving.

by J.J. from Kansas on Sep 30, 2010 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions

Here here!

Diving makes a mockery of the game. I’d rather see a hook, hold, or a high-stick than a dive. Diving displays a complete lack of class and respect for the game.

I’d like to see the league take a stand against diving but let’s face it, the classlessness trickles right down from the top.

by Rat A Tat on Sep 30, 2010 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions

When diving is called..

the best part is that Player A still gets a penalty even though the “hook” or “trip” was due to Player B “diving”. That seems counter intuitive, yet perfectly fits the NHL and their decision making discipline process.

by HockeyGuy9125 on Sep 30, 2010 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions

In fairness

I can see the logic behind this. For example, I hook a guy on a rush, preventing him from getting a shot away. That, by definition, is a penalty. However, because it was Setoguchi, he goes down like I shot him. That doesn’t change the fact that I fouled him; it just means that due to his embellishment his team does not get to enjoy a power play.

Diving is disgusting, and it shocks me that it is not called more often considering that when guys dive, they are essentially calling the referees suckers for believing they were fouled when they might not have been. As a former player, I can understand “selling” calls, but draw the line at outright flagrant attempts to draw a penalty that never occurred.

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by Amerinadian on Sep 30, 2010 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions

in theory sure, call both

however, if you really want to eliminate diving (ideally), ONLY call the dive. that would hopefully stop all the diving.

by HockeyGuy9125 on Sep 30, 2010 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions

I agree

The problem is that to the NHL, diving is not that big a problem, and certainly not one as big as hooking/tripping/obstruction, etc. The NHL will take 1 dive if it means eliminating 10 hooks.

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by Amerinadian on Sep 30, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions

So I'm the only one ballsy enough to vote for a #1 seed?

yeah… I’m a homer, and I barely believe it myself.

by J.J. from Kansas on Sep 30, 2010 10:15 AM CDT reply actions

Done and done

I don’t believe it either, but this is a Wings blog, so why not vote for them to finish 1st?

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by Amerinadian on Sep 30, 2010 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions

agreed...

im a homer.. proud of it, shouldnt be another option on there j/k

by bond021 on Sep 30, 2010 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions

the only legit one i saw was the kronwall hook on pavelski. at least we could prevent a sweep… cough. san jose.

by mikerlz on Sep 30, 2010 10:21 AM CDT reply actions

Detroit and Vancouver

will be in a fight for top seed in the West. I think San Jose will fall off a little in their traditional regular season success. I think Detroit beats defending champs Chicago in round 2, beats Vancouver in the conference finals, and takes down who ever wins the East (which is wide open and really hard to pick at this time) for their 12th Stanley Cup.

Now that all depends on everyone staying healthy obviously. Also, I do not think their are any goalies in the league that can go all 2003 on Detroit, but there is still that possibility that could make me jump in front of a bus come spring time. Experience despite their “old age” should benefit the Wings, but I could still see a younger hungrier team beating them. The 12th Stanley Cup is FAR from a guarantee…but I still think it will happen and we will be enjoying a fun, parade filled off season party.

by HockeyGuy9125 on Sep 30, 2010 11:20 AM CDT reply actions

The only goalie i could see doing that is Jaro Halak in St. Louis. He was the only reason the Canadiens were even competitive in the post season really.

Winging It In Motown

by Casey Richey on Sep 30, 2010 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions

We have a great chance

to win the cup this year. But I don’t think that we will have the top seed in the west. I think we will be sitting 2 or 3. That’s fine by me as that will set us up nicely for the playoffs.

by eshad15 on Sep 30, 2010 11:25 AM CDT reply actions

Dogfight

That’s what the West is going to be. The Sharks regressed a little, but that second line is dangerous, especially is Pavelski stays healthy this year. The Canucks are going to cakewalk through the Northwest, and will earn a top 3 seed this year. I can see them doing what the Wings used to do: destroy their division and rack up the points in the conference. We all know about the Hawks and their issues, but in the regular season they’ll be very good. A strong top-6 will be enough to get them in the playoffs, but their lack of depth will hurt them.

My darkhorse is LA. They’ve got a great defensive unit, an underrated forward unit, and Quick was really good last year until the end of the year. If he falters, they could always turn to a rookie who has been touted for some time but hasn’t been ready to take over yet in Bernier (sound familiar?) They could make some noise and I truly expect them to contend for the Pacific this year.

Still, when all is said and done, I think the Wings have the best depth in the conference, and IF they stay healthy, they could easily win the West. I don’t see anyone in the East outside of Washington and Pittsburgh being great, and I think the Wings stack up well against both of them. #12 is a possibility this year.

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by Amerinadian on Sep 30, 2010 11:51 AM CDT reply actions

Agreed with LA as the darkhorse...

If every team in the West needs a reason to go all out for the division title and top 3 seed, its to avoid LA in the 4-5 match-up (I still think SJ is the team that will take that division) in the first round. That would be brutal. Which is why I think Chicago/Los Angeles in the 4/5 match-up in the first round will be the best series in said round and has a chance to be the best series of the playoffs…assuming it happens.

by HockeyGuy9125 on Sep 30, 2010 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions

My question about LA

is where their depth scoring will come from. I mean, they’re as good as if not better than Chicago defense-wise and will probably get better goaltending, but after Kopitar and Brown, where are the rest of their goals going to come from? They’re seriously relying on Alexei Ponkarovsky to put together a whole season on the 2nd line, despite that he couldn’t score with Sidney Crosby feeding him pucks. The Kings have one first line and three third lines and I think that’s going to cause them problems when Kopitar goes cold after Christmas again.

Still, if they keep it together like the Coyotes did last year, they could run up on some people.

by J.J. from Kansas on Sep 30, 2010 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions

top 4 seed at worst

Can’t wait for next friday…Go Wings

time to make another run to the postseason....get it going guys!!

Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."

by TuLoRocks2008 on Sep 30, 2010 12:16 PM CDT reply actions

This is my first time making a prediction before the season starts,

but here goes anyway. I voted for the Wings to finish the regular season second in the West. I think Vancouver will do a San Jose imitation and lead the West during the regular season, but will do their usual in the playoffs, although I think they might actually make it to the WCF.

As far as the Wings go, I think it all depends on two things: (1) how healthy they stay (esp. Franzen) and (2) on how many nights their “evil twins” show up, you know the ones that forget how to clear the puck, can’t hit a wide-open net from two feet or less, trip over their sticks, etc. If they manage to avoid those two things for the most part, they should win the Central by a comfortable, but not blow-out, margin, and make it to the WCF where they will eliminate Vancouver in 6 and then take out whoever comes out of the East, most likely Pittsburgh, probably not the Caps unless they learn how to play defense, or a nightmare match-up with the Bolts.

The main thing is to stay healthy, which is why I want to see Mule held out of any games against Chicago during the month of October. In each of the last three years, he has had a serious injury in a game against the Hawks in October. He must be kept away from any Chicago game in October for him to have a healthy year. I’ll even volunteer for bodyguard duty. ;-p

by zfan16 on Sep 30, 2010 12:48 PM CDT reply actions

Hopefully

this year we dont see 2-0, 3-0 and even 4-0 leads blown on a regular basis… i can not handle that again.

by bond021 on Sep 30, 2010 2:08 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

This

That was the biggest issue facing the Wings last year. After they blew 2 2-0 leads in the first 2 games, I was hoping they had too many swedish meatballs and were sore from Ikea furniture. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a nasty trend that plagued them all season. I am expecting a much tighter defense this year.

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by Amerinadian on Sep 30, 2010 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions