Post by Detroit Red Wings on Jul 5, 2022 7:03:21 GMT -6
Detroit Red Wings Season 2021/2022 Breakdown.
I am as you all know by now, Mike Knowlittle at the Detroit News, and today we are going to look at the 2021/2022 season, we just a quick word about another team before the hard breakdown of the Red Wings starts.
Okay, so here we are at the end of the season. L A Kings won the PFHL Cup with an impressive 15-2-0 run, a record that at least I for one believe will be hard to beat in the coming seasons if ever.
So on to the Red Wings, a team that many of us had high hopes for going into the season. With players like Leon Draisaitl, Kyle Connor, and Kevin Fiala (who was later traded to Islanders for Seth Jones), there were numerous trades done at different parts of the season as the management seemed to want to address a couple of issues, the PK was an issue at the start of the season so veterans like Carl Hagelin and Derek Ryan was brought in, then the PP seemed to collapse so the management pulled the trigger on a big move bringing in John Tavares, intending to run the 1st line with Tavares – Draisaitl – Connor and compete with ”the triplets” in Chicago.
Safe to say that did not happen, so we saw Tavares move to the 2nd line and Ryan Johansen being pushed down the 3rd line, which is a very healthy place for an $8.000.000 a year center to be wouldn't you say? Nonetheless, that is where ”RyJo” spent the rest of the season. And with that remark, we are going to start the breakdown of the team's offense.
Forwards: C
When you look at the Detroit team you can easily pick up on the different segments there are within the forward line up, you have the offensive-inclined forwards like Draisaitl, Connor, Tavares, Marchessault (who didn’t get resigned), Brown, and then you have the defensive-inclined forwards like Motte, Hagelin, Ryan, Gaudreau, Eller, and Gagner. I healthy balance here where everyone should know their role and everything should be clear, right?
Well yes, one would think so, still, there have been periods when the team doesn’t seem to be able to keep it together and as clear as it looks from the outside.
Leon Draisaitl for one had a good season and did exactly what we all expect him to do, 113 points in 82 games, with 47 goals, there is no complaining about that. Kyle Connor also had a somewhat of a good season with 77 points in 82 games, with 32 goals. So far so good, but then we have 71 points in 82 games for the third player on the team scoring list, with 30 goals, normally I wouldn’t have much negative to say about this but when the player is John Tavares it’s a different story, one would expect so much more of a player of his status and we can only hope that the next season will be better otherwise he will probably need to look for another place to end the 2022/2023 season.
Another letdown has been Jonathan Marchessault who was brought in from St Louis to replace Kevin Fiala, no easy skates to fill for sure but surely one would have expected more than 49 points in 82 games, with 26 goals, and of course RyJo but as he has been stuck in the basement most of the season one can’t blame him.
All in all, we expect more offense next year, there are already rumors of some trading being down in the shadows but that's something we can only know for sure as the trade window officially opens again. But be sure that I, Mike Knowlittle, will not be as easy on the management, with GM Mathias Lundgren at the point, if things don't become better this coming season.
Defense: B
The defense has stayed much the same all season except for blue line star Seth Jones who was brought in from the Islanders in a deal seeing Kevin Fiala among others moving the other way. Jones was brought in to bring some stability to the blueline that the management felt was lacking. Being paired up with Josh Morrissey they have not disappointed anyone with a combined 110 points, 21 goals, and +23 (for the 54 games Jones played with the wings), and we think they will be even better together next season.
The 2nd pair, Ben Chiarot, and David Savard has done pretty much what should be expected of them holding down the fort with a respectable +5 between them, and 296 hits along with 197 blocked shots, even pitching in a few points now and then, also here we expect them to deliver even better numbers this upcoming season.
The 3rd pair, Sean Walked and Phillip Myers did surprise many of us in bringing an offensive edge of 62 points between the two, which one must say are not numbers anyone would have thought at the start of the season. But they pulled through, but at a cost, of course, the pair were -19 between the two and looked like a safety hazard every time they ended up in the defensive zone. We all know that Sean Walker early on made up his mind of testing the UFA market this season so it will be exciting to see what replacement we will get on this end as the season starts, will youngster Gustav Lindstrom get the chance or will the management bring in a more capable sollution to clean up the defensive lacking 3rd pair?
Goalies: D
Many were surprised when the trade with St Louis was announced that had Jack Campbell moved and Ilya Sorokin (who had a terrible season so far) was brought in, not that Campbell had been a wall of any kind, but he was doing okay according to many voices, still, the trade happened and Ilya Sorokin came in, there is not much more to say here, either Sorokin or Desmith had a good season and we can only hope that Sorokin develops during the off-season and comes back next season being better and more consistent then he was this season. We do know that there have been numerous talks surrounding Sorokin’s future within the management, still, the 26-year-old seems to get the confidence to carry the team next season, if he will be sent packing for an older more capable goalie down the line next season, well that’s something we can only speculate over and the look of the market moving forward is there a chance to get a veteran goalie I don’t think that the management should hesitate to make the move.
So looking this over we can see that the parts of the team that must improve this coming season for us to be able to see the Wings going past the 1st round in the playoffs are a stronger offense and a more stable goalie performance. If that happens I am confident that this team will make a good run in the next playoffs!
This is as always, yours truly, Mike Knowlittle for the Detroit News.
I am as you all know by now, Mike Knowlittle at the Detroit News, and today we are going to look at the 2021/2022 season, we just a quick word about another team before the hard breakdown of the Red Wings starts.
Okay, so here we are at the end of the season. L A Kings won the PFHL Cup with an impressive 15-2-0 run, a record that at least I for one believe will be hard to beat in the coming seasons if ever.
So on to the Red Wings, a team that many of us had high hopes for going into the season. With players like Leon Draisaitl, Kyle Connor, and Kevin Fiala (who was later traded to Islanders for Seth Jones), there were numerous trades done at different parts of the season as the management seemed to want to address a couple of issues, the PK was an issue at the start of the season so veterans like Carl Hagelin and Derek Ryan was brought in, then the PP seemed to collapse so the management pulled the trigger on a big move bringing in John Tavares, intending to run the 1st line with Tavares – Draisaitl – Connor and compete with ”the triplets” in Chicago.
Safe to say that did not happen, so we saw Tavares move to the 2nd line and Ryan Johansen being pushed down the 3rd line, which is a very healthy place for an $8.000.000 a year center to be wouldn't you say? Nonetheless, that is where ”RyJo” spent the rest of the season. And with that remark, we are going to start the breakdown of the team's offense.
Forwards: C
When you look at the Detroit team you can easily pick up on the different segments there are within the forward line up, you have the offensive-inclined forwards like Draisaitl, Connor, Tavares, Marchessault (who didn’t get resigned), Brown, and then you have the defensive-inclined forwards like Motte, Hagelin, Ryan, Gaudreau, Eller, and Gagner. I healthy balance here where everyone should know their role and everything should be clear, right?
Well yes, one would think so, still, there have been periods when the team doesn’t seem to be able to keep it together and as clear as it looks from the outside.
Leon Draisaitl for one had a good season and did exactly what we all expect him to do, 113 points in 82 games, with 47 goals, there is no complaining about that. Kyle Connor also had a somewhat of a good season with 77 points in 82 games, with 32 goals. So far so good, but then we have 71 points in 82 games for the third player on the team scoring list, with 30 goals, normally I wouldn’t have much negative to say about this but when the player is John Tavares it’s a different story, one would expect so much more of a player of his status and we can only hope that the next season will be better otherwise he will probably need to look for another place to end the 2022/2023 season.
Another letdown has been Jonathan Marchessault who was brought in from St Louis to replace Kevin Fiala, no easy skates to fill for sure but surely one would have expected more than 49 points in 82 games, with 26 goals, and of course RyJo but as he has been stuck in the basement most of the season one can’t blame him.
All in all, we expect more offense next year, there are already rumors of some trading being down in the shadows but that's something we can only know for sure as the trade window officially opens again. But be sure that I, Mike Knowlittle, will not be as easy on the management, with GM Mathias Lundgren at the point, if things don't become better this coming season.
Defense: B
The defense has stayed much the same all season except for blue line star Seth Jones who was brought in from the Islanders in a deal seeing Kevin Fiala among others moving the other way. Jones was brought in to bring some stability to the blueline that the management felt was lacking. Being paired up with Josh Morrissey they have not disappointed anyone with a combined 110 points, 21 goals, and +23 (for the 54 games Jones played with the wings), and we think they will be even better together next season.
The 2nd pair, Ben Chiarot, and David Savard has done pretty much what should be expected of them holding down the fort with a respectable +5 between them, and 296 hits along with 197 blocked shots, even pitching in a few points now and then, also here we expect them to deliver even better numbers this upcoming season.
The 3rd pair, Sean Walked and Phillip Myers did surprise many of us in bringing an offensive edge of 62 points between the two, which one must say are not numbers anyone would have thought at the start of the season. But they pulled through, but at a cost, of course, the pair were -19 between the two and looked like a safety hazard every time they ended up in the defensive zone. We all know that Sean Walker early on made up his mind of testing the UFA market this season so it will be exciting to see what replacement we will get on this end as the season starts, will youngster Gustav Lindstrom get the chance or will the management bring in a more capable sollution to clean up the defensive lacking 3rd pair?
Goalies: D
Many were surprised when the trade with St Louis was announced that had Jack Campbell moved and Ilya Sorokin (who had a terrible season so far) was brought in, not that Campbell had been a wall of any kind, but he was doing okay according to many voices, still, the trade happened and Ilya Sorokin came in, there is not much more to say here, either Sorokin or Desmith had a good season and we can only hope that Sorokin develops during the off-season and comes back next season being better and more consistent then he was this season. We do know that there have been numerous talks surrounding Sorokin’s future within the management, still, the 26-year-old seems to get the confidence to carry the team next season, if he will be sent packing for an older more capable goalie down the line next season, well that’s something we can only speculate over and the look of the market moving forward is there a chance to get a veteran goalie I don’t think that the management should hesitate to make the move.
So looking this over we can see that the parts of the team that must improve this coming season for us to be able to see the Wings going past the 1st round in the playoffs are a stronger offense and a more stable goalie performance. If that happens I am confident that this team will make a good run in the next playoffs!
This is as always, yours truly, Mike Knowlittle for the Detroit News.
