Entering Jeff Blashill’s second year with the Detroit Red Wings, fans are hoping the team can rebound from a season in which the Red Wings struggled mightily with the offensive side of the game.
Earlier this month, TSN’s Scott Cullen released his Top 300 Projected Scorers for the upcoming 2016-17 NHL campaign. THW’s Jacob Messing reported that ten Red Wings made Cullen’s list and Gustav Nyquist would lead the team with only 54 points.
Though Nyquist is a quality forward with the Red Wings, he won’t be atop the scoring leaders’ chart at the end of the season. That title will belong to captain Henrik Zetterberg, despite his offseason knee injury.
Earlier in the summer, THW projected that Zetterberg would lead the Red Wings with 65 points during the upcoming campaign. That projection will remain unchanged. Niklas Kronwall, on the other hand, will not perform as previously predicted. His potentially serious knee injury will certainly limit his games played.
Projected Red Wings Stats
With fresh faces abound and no Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings’ scoring projections will look dramatically different this year when compared to previous seasons. Nonetheless, this team still has the ability to contend in the playoffs.
In the chart below, you’ll find how each Red Wings player will fare during the 2016-17 season.
| Red Wings Player |
POS |
GP | G | A | PTS |
| Henrik Zetterberg |
LW |
74 | 20 | 45 |
65 |
| Dylan Larkin |
C |
80 | 23 | 36 |
59 |
| Tomas Tatar |
LW |
77 | 28 | 27 |
55 |
| Frans Nielsen |
C |
80 | 22 | 31 |
53 |
| Gustav Nyquist |
LW |
81 | 20 | 29 |
49 |
| Justin Abdelkader |
RW |
78 | 24 | 23 |
47 |
| Mike Green |
D |
74 | 11 | 36 |
47 |
| Thomas Vanek |
RW |
71 | 16 | 22 |
38 |
| Riley Sheahan |
C |
82 | 15 | 20 |
35 |
| Darren Helm |
C |
70 | 15 | 18 |
33 |
| Danny DeKeyser |
D |
82 | 6 | 25 |
31 |
| Niklas Kronwall |
D |
68 | 5 | 21 |
26 |
| Andreas Athanasiou |
C |
44 | 9 | 14 |
23 |
| Brendan Smith |
D |
77 | 5 | 14 |
19 |
| Teemu Pulkkinen |
RW |
35 | 8 | 9 |
17 |
| Luke Glendening |
C |
82 | 7 | 9 |
16 |
| Anthony Mantha |
RW |
23 | 6 | 8 |
14 |
| Xavier Ouellet |
D |
45 | 2 | 12 |
14 |
| Tomas Jurco |
RW |
32 | 4 | 10 |
14 |
| Alexey Marchenko |
D |
71 | 3 | 9 |
12 |
| Drew Miller |
LW |
50 | 3 | 5 |
8 |
| Jonathan Ericsson |
D |
59 | 2 | 6 |
8 |
| Steve Ott |
LW |
16 | 0 | 2 |
2 |
| Ryan Sproul |
D |
15 | 0 | 2 |
2 |
| Tyler Bertuzzi |
LW |
7 | 1 | 1 |
2 |
| Tomas Nosek | C | 2 | 0 | 0 |
0 |
|
Joe Hicketts |
D | 1 | 0 | 0 |
0 |
Henrik Zetterberg
Despite missing a few games, Zetterberg’s stats will actually go up when compared to last season. His move to the wing will help boost his productivity while keeping him fresh throughout the season. Having Frans Nielsen at center and Nyquist on the far wing will help the aging Swede put up solid numbers.
Next Wave of Forwards
Entering his second season in Detroit, Dylan Larkin will also perform better than a year ago. His World Cup of Hockey selection and subsequent lack of ice time will motivate the young center to improve on a stellar rookie campaign.
Tomas Tatar will also see a boost in productivity after a drop in ice time last season. He’ll pair well with Larkin to form an offensive second line. It will be imperative for players like Tatar, Larkin, and Riley Sheahan to step up with Pavel Datsyuk now in the KHL.
Young Guns
Don’t be shocked if both Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha spend a majority of the 2016-17 seasons in the AHL—they’ll be up in Detroit full-time soon enough. Just like Nyquist a few years ago, the Red Wings will keep the two in the AHL until they are forced to recall the two speedy, offensive weapons.
In addition to Athanasiou and Mantha, expect Tyler Bertuzzi, Tomas Nosek, and even Joe Hicketts to dress for a game or two this season.
Free Agent Signings
Despite slow starts in the World Cup of Hockey tournament, new Red Wings Frans Nielsen, and Thomas Vanek will find their respective games in Hockeytown. They may even be paired together on a line to start the season. Nielsen will put out fair numbers for his new six-year contract and Vanek could prove to be a great value signing considering his right-handed shot, power play expertise, and familiarity with John Torchetti’s offensive system.
Alternatively, don’t expect much from Steve Ott. He was plagued by injuries last season and could end up like Danny Cleary—in the press box or relegated to playing in Grand Rapids.
Defensemen
With Niklas Kronwall likely to miss games throughout the year, expect Brendan Smith to be the primary beneficiary with their veteran defenseman out of the lineup. Smith will put up career numbers playing alongside Danny DeKeyser, who will also take a step forward.
With Torchetti running Detroit’s power play, Mike Green will show flashes of his Norris Trophy nominee days in Washington. Green could either play at the top of the umbrella or along the boards on his off-wing.
A surprise player along the blue line could be Xavier Ouellet. Now that he’s poised to start the year in Detroit, Ouellet could round out the third pair and collect a few points in the process. Likely playing with Jonathan Ericsson or Alexey Marchenko, Ouellet could jump into the play more often with the two defensive defensemen hanging back.
Will any Detroit Red Wings player surpass their projections? Fall short of their projected point totals? Comment below with your take.