NHL Power Rankings: Washington Capitals begin title defense

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 7:The Washington Capitals celebrate around the Stanley Cup after Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena on Thursday, June 7, 2018. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images /

30. Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a rebuilding team who have no idea they should be rebuilding. Their roster is littered with ill-advised contracts with questionable no-trade clauses. The Red Wings were the oldest team in the NHL last season. Even with the departure of Henrik Zetterberg, that’s not going to move the needle too much. The Red Wings are still one of the oldest teams in the NHL.

Dylan Larkin will be asked to take over Zetterberg’s first-line center role. He has performed more like a second line center during his career. This is why Zetterberg’s retirement is so painful for the Red Wings – it forces everyone up into a role they probably shouldn’t be in.

Suddenly, Frans Nielsen is going to have to be a second line center when he’s much closer to being a third-line center. The scary part is their defensemen are even worse than their forwards. Mike Green, whenever he returns from an illness that will reportedly cost him the start of the season, will be the de facto number one defenseman.

The Red Wings goaltending will have to be miraculously good in order to have a chance of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But hey, at least the Wings have their first-round pick in 2019, unlike the Senators.

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