30 teams in 30 days: Detroit Red Wings
Finished: 2nd western conference
Playoffs: Lost in Stanley Cup finals to Pittsburgh
Leading scorers: Pavel Datsyuk 97, Henrik Zetterberg 73, Marian Hossa 70, Nicklas Lidstrom 59
Who did they add?: No additions.
Who did they lose?: Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, Mikael Samuelsson, Ty Conklin
Overview: The last two seasons have been very good to the Detroit red Wings, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals both seasons and winning it two years ago. The biggest story line surrounding the wings last season was Marian Hossa, who turned down a long term contract to stay with Pittsburgh, but accepted a one year deal with Detroit, the team who beat him in the Stanley Cup finals that year. With Detroit, he succeeded in making the finals once again, only to get beaten by the team who he left. Hossa’s answer? Leave the wings for division rival Chicago. Hossa’s departure, along with Tomas Kopecky’s and Mikael Samuelsson’s weaken a group of very skilled forwards. Leading the group as always are Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, with Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler providing some secondary scoring. For the wings to be as successful this year though, they will need Ville Leino and Darren Helm to step up and show that they can fit into NHL roles for a full season. The defense is anchored, as always, by Nick Lidstrom. Behind him is a solid corps featuring Brad Stuart, Nicklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski. Detroit’s D are solid in all aspects of the game, and if they are consistent they will be formidable. The goaltending is a different story. Chris Osgood had an abysmal season last year, but proved that it doesn’t matter, because he shone in the playoffs, leading Detroit to the cup finals. This year however, there is no Ty Conklin to play ”backup”. For the wings to be successful they will need Osgood to prove he can play well during the regular season. Nonetheless, the wings are still very solid and should once again contend for the central division lead and perhaps the cup.
Winners or losers?: The wings are still solid, but they are also losers this offseason. They lost 4 key components of last year’s team and haven’t really replaced them with anyone. They will need players from inside the system to step up and produce in the absence of these 4 guys.
