Welcome to my 27th, and final, regular season Detroit Red Wings weekly review. After a nice start to the season, the Red Wings went back and forth between losses and wins. While the record is not what they hoped for, the Red Wings did show some improvement.
The Red Wings also showed off some of their brightest prospects this season. Marco Kasper got in a game, while Jonatan Berggren and Simon Edvinsson showed promise.
The Red Wings played four games this week and, unfortunately, lost all four to close out the 2022-23 NHL season. They lost 5-1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-1 to the Dallas Stars, 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes, and were shutout 5-0 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Detroit Red Wings have a big off-season ahead.
Positives
The Detroit Red Wings improved from last season in total points. The Red Wings had 74 points in the 2021/22 season and went to an improvement of six points to 80 points this season, their highest point total since the 2015/16 season.
Many things contributed to this increase, with the new coach, improved roster, and young prospects playing a big part. If the Detroit Red Wings bring back the same type of roster next season, could we see 90 points from this team?
The development of the young players has certainly improved this season. Not only did the Red Wings call up players from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, coach Lalonde played them and played them in key roles.
Berggren played some minutes on the top line, Edvinsson played on the second defensive pairing, and Kasper, although playing one game, got in some key minutes to show his worth.
Coach Lalonde believes in his young core and will likely play them the same amount next season, increasing their roles and minutes as he sees fit.
Although the offense was missing this past week, the top point producer was David Perron, who had a total of two points on one goal and one assist. No other player had more than one point as the Detroit Red Wings scored only three goals the entire week.
Negatives
The lack of offense was noticeable this week again as the Detroit Red Wings looked out of it. They did get pressure on the defense and some quality scoring chances. However, they received few rebounds and the goaltenders had easy looks at the shots.
One thing the Red Wings need to bring in before next season is someone who can screen the goaltender and be a net front presence. The goals will come with this offense if they get someone who can distract the goaltender.
With the season winding down and the playoffs not in site, the Red Wings played with a lack of motivation. This was a lost season after the first half and the team had nothing to play for. The Red Wings maybe just wanted to get the season over with since they had nothing to play for.
Some players still played with energy and determination, but others may not have wanted to play with a high motor.
The Detroit Red Wings ended the season on a four-game losing streak. This is not the way any team should go out. With high expectations this season, the team should have played until the last whistle and grabbed a couple of wins to go out on a high note.
This will leave a bad taste in the mouths of most Red Wings, namely captain Dylan Larkin, who has always expressed his opinion on losing. The Detroit Red Wings were improved this season, but this season would have been nice to close out on a win or two.