Detroit Red Wings 2014

[Wings]

[[If there is already a thread for this, forgive me, I did not see it.)

With the Wings set to open at home vs. the Bruins, what are your predictions for this season?

I'm thinking it's going to be a similar season to last year, unfortunately. Ken Holland did absolutely nothing to help this mediocre roster, so the only hope for improvement is that Jurco, Tatar, Nyquist, and Sheahan [[maybe Nestrasil?) make big strides.

If Datsyuk and Zetterberg stay healthy, I could see the Wings finishing 5th or 6th in the east, and having an outside shot at winning in the first round. What about you?

[Scottathew]

Cleary and Franzen are downright awful and need to go.

I think we'll squeak into the playoffs again.

[Thruster315]

Cleary and Franzen are downright awful and need to go.

I think we'll squeak into the playoffs again.

We were once a well oiled machine going deep into the playoffs with Cup aspirations. And now we hope and squeak. I also agree about Cleary and Franzen- they need to go. And I'm all for the transition between a veteran ladened team to the youngsters but are these guys the veterans we want to lead us into the next wave of greatness? I don't think so.

[Downriviera]

Watched the game. Still hate the new NHL rules. Helm has had some serious back issues and Chara knows this. So he gives him a wicked cross check to the back. No call even with the ref looking right at it. No one challenges Chara. Why is Datsyuk and Zetterberg as well as our other players always hurt. Because opposing teams take runs at them without any penalty from the league or retaliation from players. I've played hockey all my life and if I'm Helm I give Chara a nice BC Twohander behind the knee next game. If the league won't take steps to protect you, you have to do it yourself.

I think the season will be similar to last year as well. Lots of injuries and we squeak into the playoffs with a first or second round exit. Looking forward to seeing top pick and Quebec League sniper Anthony Mantha in the lineup when he returns from injury.

[mikeg19]

I'm optimistic about the Wings......just not this year. Do they have the talent to get into the playoffs again? Yes. If Datsyuk & Zetterberg stay healthy and play in the 70-75 game range rather than 40, that would be huge. Howard having a bounce back season is a must, although I'll partially blame his troubles on an inexperienced defense. Weiss needs to have a great year to prove he wasn't a MAJOR flop. The young guys got a lot of experience last year with all the injuries, and you can't expect another year on 400+ man games lost.

Having said that, I'm cautiously optimistic about the future. They've shed a lot of dead weight and bad contracts this year [[and hopefully we won't be seeing too much Cleary this year at all). They're younger and faster than they have been in probably 15 years, which is quite evident when you watch them play. Add Anthony Mantha into the mix at somepoint, who's supposedly just a monster, and a few shrewd moves by Holland, and I could see the Wings going deep into the playoffs in a year or two.

The keys to this season:

Healthy Pav & Hank
Howard playing like he did when he was an Olympic candidate
Developing the young D
Continuing to play the young guys and work in Mantha

[TheUsualSuspect]

It's another year of transition from age & experience to youth and speed. Yeah, healthy Zet and Pavs will be key. The turnover on the squad is greater than meets the eye, when compared to last years starting squad.

There's a quad of young talented defensemen cooking in Grand Rapids, all with differing skil-sets. Holland is biding his time [[frustrating many of us) waiting for the right time to make a move to clear a spot for one or two of them.

Nice to see Bertuzzi and Samuelsson gone. Cleary will play a bit-part...so I don't get as hung up on him as most. And Howard is in the best shape of his career, feeling the pressure of Petr Mrzek pushing him all the way from Grand Rapids.

It'll be a better year than last.

[Lowell]

Get rid of Cleary? Our only player from Newfoundland?

On June 4, 2008, Cleary became the first player from Newfoundland and Labrador to get his name on the Stanley Cup when the Red Wings won hockey's top prize.

[boater4life]

I think the defense will be better this year even though it is the same group. Kronwall and Ericsson lead the way but I really like what DeKeyser and Smith bring to the table as 2 youngsters who are making big strides year to year. Howard will be solid, and scoring will be by committee.

[rb336]

I think the defense will be better this year even though it is the same group. Kronwall and Ericsson lead the way but I really like what DeKeyser and Smith bring to the table as 2 youngsters who are making big strides year to year. Howard will be solid, and scoring will be by committee.

They are able to roll two excellent lines and two more pretty good ones. And yes, it will take 4 decent defensemen to make up for the loss of the best pure defensive player of all time [[I do not consider Orr a pure defensive player, he thought about scoring as much or more than defense)

[WSU12]

They should be about the same as last year. I expect Howard to have a better year than last and the rookies to show improvements, and Nyquist to really burst onto the scene with a 65+ point season. They have one of the fastest groups of forwards in the league, so hopefully they can use that to their advantage on the powerplay. The defense will be shaky, as usual. I'm really hoping old Kenny H can make SOME sort of midseason trade for a right handed defenseman.

[Bobl]

Might squeak in, depending on the goalkeeper. Everything depends on the goalkeepers, these days.
Previous quote: "If the league won't take steps to protect you, you have to do it yourself."
I agree. Two games, and I've seen a few cheap shots that might not have happened in the days of Probert & Kocur [[or Semenko).

[Hypestyles]

I might as well get a ticket this year since this is one of the last seasons at the Joe Louis.. or are they all sold out already?

[mikefmich]

Lowell,
Do you remember Parker MacDonald? So close to being the first....too many Wing chokes in those years. :/