2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
LW Henrik Zetterberg (17 G, 49 A, 66 P)
C Pavel Datsyuk (26 G, 39 A, 65 P)
LW Tomas Tatar (29 G, 27 A, 56 P)
LAST SEASON
The Detroit Red Wings had a great regular season in 2014-15. Finishing third in the Atlantic Division with a record of 43-25-14 was good enough to earn them a spot in the playoffs, marking the 23rd straight year where the Wings saw a playoff appearance. The Wings had succesful seasons from their veterans in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, and also gave their rookies such as Teemu Pulkkinen and Alexey Marchenko some ice time.
In March of 2015, it became evident to the Wings organization that they were aiming to solidify themselves a playoff spot, so they made a few trades. The first one being a deal with the Dallas Stars that saw the Wings shipping Mattias Backman, Mattias Janmark, and a 2nd round pick in 2015 to the Stars in exchange for veteran Erik Cole and a 3rd round pick in 2015. Following that trade, the Wings dealt a conditional 3rd round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for veteran defenseman Marek Zidlicky. The Wings would enter the playoffs in a series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but unfortunately would be eliminated in seven games. But then again, the Wings still had a lot to be optimistic about, considering their ongoing succcess as a franchise, so they entered the offseason with lots of hope.
OFFSEASON
IN
Mike Green
Brad Richards
Eric Tangradi
OUT
Stephen Weiss
Erik Cole
Marek Zidlicky
Kevin Porter
Jonas Gustavsson
Daniel Cleary
Doug Janik
Unlike most teams, the Red Wings' first big offseason move came with a coaching hire rather than a player transaction. This began when longtime head coach Mike Babcock made the desicion that he would explore other options. This involved many teams, including the Leafs, Sabres, Blues, Flyers, and Sharks among others. Eventually, the Leafs and Sabres were in a bidding war, which ended with the Leafs winning and hiring Babcock to an 8 year contract with the team. Following that hiring, the Wings named their affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill as their new head coach.
After this hiring, the player transactions began coming in. The Wings entered the 2015 NHL Draft and used their first round pick to select Russian winger Evgeny Svechnikov of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Heading into free agency, the Wings didn't make too many transactions, but they made two big ones, including signing Mike Green to boulster their defensive core and Brad Richards to play as a solid second line scoring option. They also brought in Eric Tangradi for some depth. Though they said goodbye to older veterans such as Erik Cole and Daniel Cleary, the future looked bright for the Wings.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
Expect the same result from the Wings offense as you see every year. Their offense will be lead by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, with secondary options such as Johan Franzen, Brad Richards, Gustav Nyquist, and Tomas Tatar pitching in. Expect younger players such as Teemu Pulkkinen and Landon Ferarro to work for permanent spots on the team following the departures of Cleary and Cole.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
The Wings' top defenseman remains Niklas Kronwall, but expect Mike Green to make a big impact. A solid right handed shot for the powerplay will do wonders for the Wings. Expect youngsters such as Alexey Marchenko to push for permanent roster spots too.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
This one is a big tougher. The Wings know they can trust goaltender Jimmy Howard, but after Petr Mrazek got all of the starts in the past playoffs, don't be surprised to see Mrazek eventually take over as the starter.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Gustav Nyquist
Tomas Tatar - Brad Richards - Justin Abdelkader
Teemu Pulkkinen - Darren Helm - Johan Franzen
Luke Glendening - Riley Sheahan - Drew Miller
Niklas Kronwall - Danny DeKeyser
Brendan Smith - Mike Green
Kyle Quincey - Alexey Marchenko
Petr Mrazek
Jimmy Howard
