Through two games and not even a full week into the season, the Red Wings are already staring at the same issue that can wreck a team’s October in a hurry: where the goals are supposed to come from.
Detroit’s offense is missing a few familiar answers. The club is without its usual top-line center, lost a chunk of veteran scoring over the offseason, and saw the only major forward addition from a front-office shakeup come in the form of 5-foot-10 winger Viktor Arvidsson on the second line. That leaves a lot of pressure on the top six, especially the other half of Detroit’s top group.
“There’s going to be a lot of pressure on those three. There is.
It’s pretty simple. We’ve got, you know, 40 goal scorer, we’ve got what we think is a 30 goal scorer and then Copper playing between them.” head coach Todd McLellan said after the Red Wings dropped their home opener 2-0 to the NY Rangers.
The power play was supposed to be a safety valve, but that’s changed too. Last season, Detroit leaned heavily on the man advantage, with veteran winger Patrick Kane providing the kind of puck sense and poise that made that unit dangerous. He’s back in Chicago now, and the Red Wings have to find a new rhythm without him.
“I mean, they scored on the power play. You know, we didn’t.
So, I think that’s the difference in the game, and our power play’s got to be better.” Alex DeBrincat said following the Red Wings loss to the Rangers.
Dylan Larkin’s absence only tightens the squeeze. He had 14 of his 24 goals on the power play last year, so Detroit is missing another major source of production while it sorts out its forward groups.
For now, the Red Wings are still trying to figure out which combination has the right blend of scoring touch and muscle. Lucas Raymond said the team has to be more decisive when chances are there.
“When we have the opportunity, we got to make the play, you know, don’t pass up opportunities. Take it to the net.” Lucas Raymond said.
That challenge is even sharper given the size up front. Andrew Copp is the only forward on the top unit over six feet tall, and he’s generally been a player who finishes with fewer than ten goals a year. Detroit is being asked to win the hard way in front of the net, but the lineup doesn’t exactly make that easy.
McLellan has pushed physicality hard, and that’s already showing from the bottom six. But if the Red Wings are going to win games in October, the heavier lifting has to come from the top half of the roster. The names carrying the load may be missing, but the expectations aren’t.
In Other News...
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Marco Kasper Concern After Opening Night
Marco Kaspers opening night with the Red Wings already came with a jolt, and now Detroit has a little more reason to keep an eye on its young center. Kasper is dealing with an upper-body injury, which is the kind of early-season issue that can quickly alter a teams plans, especially for a player still trying to carve out a bigger role.
The concern is not just the absence itself, but how it arrived in a game where Kasper was involved physically and left the kind of impression that tends to linger beyond the final buzzer. Detroit is still sorting through its lineup options, and with the schedule moving fast, the Red Wings are already facing an immediate question about how long they may have to manage without him. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have Another Core Player Standoff To Solve
The Red Wings are already juggling enough uncertainty, and now another young piece of their future has become part of the picture. Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent on the back end, is in a standoff with Detroit as the club continues to push for an extension while the players side is not engaged in talks. With Dylan Larkins trade request still hanging over the roster and no permanent general manager in place, the organization suddenly has another core decision to navigate.
Edvinssons situation is especially notable because he has already returned to Sweden and is back with Frolunda HC after training camp. For Detroit, that only adds to the awkward timing of a negotiation that is supposed to help settle the blue lines future, not cloud it further. Instead, the Wings are left trying to sort out whether one of their promising defensemen will eventually be part of the long-term plan or become the next unresolved issue on a team that cant afford many more. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face One Costly Question In Any Lucas Raymond Pursuit
Detroits summer has already carried enough turbulence to make any new trade rumor land with extra force. With captain Dylan Larkin already having asked out and defenseman Simon Edvinsson still unsigned while reportedly preferring a move, the Red Wings are staring at a messy stretch in which almost anything feels possible as the organization tries to sort out its next direction.
That is why the Lucas Raymond chatter has drawn so much attention, especially with Edmonton floated as a possible partner if Detroit ever decides to take a bigger swing at a rebuild. Any pursuit would have to clear a steep price, and the kind of return being discussed would be the sort of package that forces both sides to think hard about timing, fit, and how much pain they are willing to absorb for a player with Raymonds upside. [Read more 🡒]