The Detroit Red Wings have had a history of having some incredible talent on their roster at any given time.
Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Osgood, and Sergei Fedorov are a few names that have made a difference through the years. With the 2023-24 opening night roster being revealed, are they close to having a loaded roster again?
The Red Wings do not have an elite, star-power forward like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, or Cale Makar. Instead, they have Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider as their core to build around.
Without having a single prospect on their roster to start the season, is general manager Yzerman quietly saying that experience wins games?
The Detroit Red Wings are a group that is going to compete this season.
The new and improved Detroit roster comes with plenty of talent and experience. It has some of the best depth in the NHL which is something they did not have last season.
The center position has veterans J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Larkin, and youngster Joe Veleno. Right-wingers include Christian Fischer, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Daniel Sprong.
Left wingers are Michael Rasmussen, Kim Klostin, Robby Fabbri, and David Perron. Defenseman Seider, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jake Walman, and Jeff Petry join goaltenders Ville HUsso, James Reimer, and Alex Lyon.
Every forward line and defense pairing has offense, defense, and grit. They also have veterans, leadership, and players with a great work ethic. The goaltending trio has experience and has had playoff success.
Again, this team is not going to have the best record in the NHL, no player is going to win the Hart trophy, and none of the goaltenders are going to win the Vezina Trophy. But that is not what this season is about.
This may be the deepest Red Wings roster we have seen in many years. That is a key component to the rebuild, to build a team that competes every night and this team has the roster to do that now.
The Detroit Red Wings have a long way to go to be Stanley Cup contenders but this lineup can get them success that leads to that moment.
The Detroit Red Wings have not had playoff success since they lost in the conference semi-finals during the 2012-13 season. The last time Detroit made the playoffs was in the 2015-16 season when they were eliminated in the first round.
There is a weird feeling surrounding this team this season. Fans expect this roster to come through with a playoff spot. Consistency and teams above them falling down could be the opportunity this team needs.