Detroit Red Wings Weekly Recap: Wrapping up Week 15

Welcome to my 15th regular season Detroit Red Wings weekly review.

The Detroit Red Wings played three games this week, going 2-1. They began the week losing to the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 at Little Caesars Arena. The Detroit Red Wings came back to beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 to end a quick two-game homestand.

The Red Wings closed out the week with a 4-3 overtime win against the Montreal Canadians in Montreal.

The Detroit Red Wings had a 2-1 week, while Seider stayed hot.

Positives

The big offensive point-producer this week was defenseman Moritz Seider with four points, all assists. Seider continues to improve his play from earlier in the season and is playing a solid two-way game.

He continues to progress in all areas of the ice and looks to take his game to the next level. Seider is not quite at the Calder Trophy-winning level he was last season, but he is still Detroit’s top defenseman again this season.

Speaking of taking your game to the next level, Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen has been Detroit’s best player over the past month. He has elevated his game to the point that he is no longer a bottom-six forward but now is constantly in the top-six.

Rasmussen had a career-high 27 points last season but already has 24 points in just over half the season. He has easily been Detroit’s best forward this season.

The bottom six of the Detroit Red Wings continue to be the reason for the success of the team.

Joe Veleno is a future second-line center with tons of potential, Oskar Sundqvist is quietly putting together a solid season, Adam Erne provides depth, yet plays a physical game, Dominik Kubalik has provided secondary scoring, and Robby Fabbri has also been solid in his return.

The defense has also been solid as a group with Jordan Oesterle, Jake Walman, and Olli Maatta, playing well in all situations.

Negatives

Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron has been ice-cold over the past couple of weeks. In his last five games (entering play on Friday), he has only one point, a goal against the Arizona Coyotes.

Once the leading scorer of the Detroit Red Wings, Perron has not produced as he did early in the season and he has been on every line in the past few weeks.

With the NHL being in the second half of the season, the Detroit Red Wings are hungry for points. As of right now, the Red Wings are out of the playoffs, sitting five points out of the last playoff spot as of Friday.

Points are crucial at this point of the season, and the Detroit Red Wings need to start putting together a complete 60 minutes together. They have eight wins in their last 20 games.

The Detroit Red Wings are not getting production from once 30-goal scorer Tyler Bertuzzi, as he continues to struggle. He has one goal and four assists for five points in 16 games this season. During the 2021-22 season, Bettuzzi had 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points in 68 games.

He did miss some time with an injury but has played 1/4 of the season so far and is still trying to find his game. Possible trade bait last season, Bertuzzi would not fetch much in return if traded this season.