Detroit Red Wings Season Preview: 5 Must Watch Games.

The season is only 9 days away. With how the season ended last year, I'm sure Red Wings fans and the players are chomping at the bit to get the season underway and prove they are a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference and the NHL. Here are the top 5 must watch games of the 2015-16 season. 

Number 5: Detroit Red Wings vs Toronto Maple Leafs, October 9th, 2015. This game is an absolute must watch for an obvious reason. Former Wings coach Mike Babcock left this offseason to join the Maple Leafs on an 8 year 50 million dollar deal making him the highest paid head coach in the NHL. How nice would it be to win in the first matchup since he decided to leave? 

Number 4: Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning, October 13th, 2015. This one is also probably pretty obvious and maybe a little painful. The Wings season ended at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in an extremely hard fought seven game series of the 1st round last year. It's even very arguable that the Wings outplayed Tampa in the 7th game of that series. 

Number 3: Detroit Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers, October 21st, 2015. The Oilers who ended up winning the draft lottery and getting the first overall pick for the fourth time in the last six seasons, selected highly touted prospect Connor McDavid. McDavid has been called "the next Sidney Crosby" some have said he may even end up being better than Crosby.

Number 2: Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins, December 31st, 2015. In the Red Wings annual New Years Eve game, they will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. An already high scoring team will now be even better offensively as they acquired for Leaf Phil Kessel in the offseason. Kessel was the Leafs top scorer all six seasons he was a Leaf. 

Number 1:  Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Blackhawks, March 2nd and 6th, 2016. In the only two games these rivals play this season (and upcoming seasons) they play a home at home at the tail end of the season. Seemingly every single time these two get together it makes for some of the best hockey of the year. The Blackhawks are coming off their third cup in six seasons and a whole lot of change. Sharp, Oduya, Saad, and now Red Wing Brad Richards all are no longer Blackhawks. The Patrick Kane investigation could also change the Hawks lineup even more if he's found to have done any wrong doing. 

Are these the games you had in mind? What games do you think are a must watch this season? 

Preseason game recap: DET- 6 PIT 1.

It's only preseason, but I really missed hockey, so why not do some preseason recaps? In the second of only three televised Red Wings preseason games, the Red Wings young guns certainly impressed. 

First Period:

The first period was all Red Wings as we saw Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, and Teemu Pulkkinen score for the Wings. In Dylan Larkins first shift in Joe Louis Arena, we saw his speed and skill on full display as he got the puck, protected it, drove it to the net, and hit the crossbar. Later in the first, Todd Bertuzzis' nephew Tyler, found a loose puck and had it squeak through for a goal. Then, while on a 5 on 3 power play, Red Wings top prospect Dylan Larkin puts home a rebound shot to make it 2-0. Also on a power play, Teemu Pulkkinen picks a corner and snipes home the 3rd goal of the game for the Wings. 

Most impressive players: Dylan Larkin, Nick Jensen, Andreas Athanasiou, Dylan Larkin (did I already name him?)

Second Period:

The Penguins carried a majority of the play as it seemed like the Wings took their foot off the pedal a bit. Not a whole lot of entertaining action, Brian Lashogf takes a shot from the point that deflects off of Drew Miller to make it 4-0 at the end of two. 

Most Impressive Players: Dylan Larkin (yes again) Landon Ferraro, Nick Jensen.

Third Period: Early in the 3rd, Tyler Bertuzzi flips a puck up to Teemu Pulkkinen who gets in on a breakaway and slips it five-hole for the Wings fifth goal of the game and his second of the night. Midway through the second, it appreared Larkin had his second of the night but it was waved off due to "goalie interference" from Tyler Bertuzzi. Just a few minutes later, Penguins forward Beau Bennett stuffs a rebound over Jimmy Howard to score Pittsburgh's first goal of the game. In a strange move, with 5 minutes left and the Penguins on the power play, the Pens decided to pull their goalie, talk about a Patrick Roy move. With just a few seconds left in the third, Dylan Larkin gets his second of the night with no goalie interference this time.

Most Impressive Players: Larkin, Jensen. Tyler Bertuzzi 

OT: Yes, you read that right. Overtime in a 6-1 game. With the new 3 on 3 OT rules the NHL has selected a few preseason games to go to a mandatory overtime period so teams and players can adjust to the new format. The Penguins eventually scored in the OT on a goal from Sundqvist which was set up by Malkin. 

Detroit Red Wings 2015-16 Season Preview: Larkins' NHL chances

With the season a little less than a month away from starting, today is now officially the opening of training camp. The time where players who are on PTO's and young prospects can earn roster spots on their NHL squads. 

The Red Wings top prospect Dylan Larkin (the 15th overall pick in the 2014 Entry Draft) is considered the player with the best chance to make the Red Wings NHL roster out of training camp that isn't already practically a given. 

At only 19 years of age Larkin who last year played with the Michigan Wolverines and the Grand Rapids Griffins during their playoff run showed he has exceptional offensive ability and impressive speed. In 35 games with the Wolverines he scored 15 goals and had 32 assists for 47 points. While with the Griffins he had 3 goals and 2 assists in only 6 games played showing he is certainly ready for professional hockey. The only question is, at which level? 

Typically, this wouldn't even be a question. The "Red Wing way" is usually "over riping" their young players by giving them few years in the AHL and wait till they are about 24-26 years of age to have them on the NHL roster. But in this case, it certainly isn't out of the question that Larkin may actually make the NHL roster at only 19 years of age. Red Wings GM Ken Holland has been quoted saying they will certainly give Larkin a chance to make the team.  

While Larkin is a very special player, the odds are certainly not in his favor. GM Ken Holland said he doesn't want a guy like Larkin only playing 8-9 minutes a night. He wants him as a permanent player and not just an injury replacement guy and in the top six there isn't much room for him especially with Franzen returning from his 4th concussion. 

Will Larkin make the roster? Who knows. A couple things are for certain though, Larkin will one day be on the NHL roster and an exceptional player, and the Red Wings organization is very excited about him, including the players. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall has said some very positive things about him. "He can fly" was the biggest thing that he noticed.  

Red Wings fans, I think it's pretty safe to be excited about this guy. Will he end up being the next Datsyuk or Zetterberg? Only time will tell. But, he will certainly be an exciting and big piece of the future for the Detroit Red Wings. 

Johan Franzen cleared. Should he play?

Today, Red Wings GM Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press that forward Johan Franzen has been medically cleared to play after suffering from a concussion back in January. 

Back in January, Franzen talked about how this latest concussion impacted his life. Franzen at one point said he would actually sleep 20 hours worth in a day and wasn't even able to play with his two sons. 

With this latest head injury now being his 4th in his career, and also knowing some of the things head injuries can do, many people are now wondering if Franzen should play regardless that he is medically cleared. 

Concussions and head injuries are a major topic in all contact sports. Both the NFL and NHL have looked into multiple different things such as changing rules, or even different equipment in hopes of preventing such head injuries as much as possible.

I leave this question to you: Should Johan Franzen continue to play? 

Will the Wings make it 25 straight?

The current Detroit Red Wings playoff streak at 24 straight seasons, is older than I have even been alive. It's the longest active streak in all four of the major professional sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) and it's actually older than a good handful of the players on the Red Wings roster. Another crazy fact about the streak is, they are the only team to make the playoffs every single year since the salary cap era began 10 years ago. Now that's impressive.

Well, will they?

Now this question gets brought up every single year - Will this be the year the streak ends? Will this finally be the year? I certainly wouldn't bet a whole lot of money on that. The odds are definitely not in your favor. The Detroit Red Wings last year, were at one point the best team in the Eastern Conference. They were atop the standings in the month of January. While they may have cooled down during the second half of the season, they still took the eventual Eastern Conference champions to 7 games and arguably, outplayed them in that game. The team this year roster wise, is extremely similar to last years. They lost Gustavsson, Weiss, Cole, and Zidlicky but they added Brad Richards and Mike Green. Gustavsson, Cole, and Weiss spent a good amount of their Detroit tenure injured, while Zidlicky was replaced with a better defenseman in Green. The only question marks is whether or not the loss of Mike Babcock will hurt them, and Datsyuks' health. 

Prediction: While the loss of Babcock may hurt a little to some fans, I don't see it being a big loss to the team. Jeff Blashill has a history of winning, and the players are seemingly happy about the change. Regarding Datsyuks' health, if the 2013-14 (when Datsyuk and Zetterberg missed about half the season) team made the playoffs, this team certainly will. So yes, it looks extremely likely that this team will make the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season.

Detroit Red Wings 2015-16 Season Preview: Justin Abdelkader Contract Year

After a huge breakout season which saw him score 23 goals and 21 assists for 44 points with 8 of those goals coming on the powerplay. Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader is on the last year of his current contract. The season will be an extremely important season for Abdelkader considering odds are, it will determine the money and term he will get. 

Abdelkaders value: Abdelkader has only had one really good season points wise, with that being last year. In his career 398 games played, he has 61 goals and 71 assists (131 points). Before last season with 327 games played he only had 38 goals and 50 assists. He almost matched his career numbers in one year. But, he's still a valuable forward. He can play on any line, whether it's the first line with Datsyuk or the 4th line with someone like Glendening. He is a big body and uses it quite often, one of the more physical guys that's on the Red Wings roster. He likes to stand in front of the net to screen the goalie and cause a whole lot of problems for the opposition which is something that with Franzen being hurt and Cleary not cracking the lineup, the Wings really lack. So while you may not expect a whole lot of offense from him on the stat sheet, he's certainly a valuable player for the Wings.

Prediction: While I don't expect him to be a regular 20 goal scorer or a 40 point guy, he's still a good player. I would expect his numbers to come down to earth a little bit for him but I can still see him scoring 15 goals and maybe 30-35 points depending on what line he plays on. I see him getting a decent raise and getting roughly 2.5-3 million per year for 3 years. 

Detroit Red Wings 2015-16 Season Preview: Goaltending battle

With the emergence of Petr Mrazek last season due to injuries to starter Jimmy Howard and back up Jonas Gustavsson, Ken Holland made it very clear that the battle for the starting goaltender coming into the 2015-2016 season would be between Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek, killing all rumors of a possible trade of Howard during the offseason. 

Breaking down the numbers: First let's start with Howard. 

GP: 53

Wins: 23

Losses: 13

OTL: 11

GAA: 2.44

SV%: .910

These numbers while not great, are not absolutely terrible. They are actually very close to his career numbers. Had it not been for injury, these numbers may have looked a lot better. Before injury Howard was absolutely on fire, posting a 16-7-7 record, a 2.08 GAA, and a .921 SV%. He's was a workhorse for the Wings. Not to mention the Wings were near the top of the Eastern Conference during a good amount of that time. His second half though, is what made him lose his starting spot. 

Petr Mrazek: 

GP: 29

Wins: 16

Losses: 9

OTL: 2

GAA: 2.38

SV%: .918

Mrazek quickly turned into the teams number one goalie with the way he performed while Howard was out. He performed well enough that he was awarded the Game 1 playoff starting spot over Howard in which Mrazek performed amazingly posting 3 wins, 4 losses, a 2.11 GAA, and a .925 SV% along with 2 shutouts. He did all this while playing the leagues best offensive team in the Tampa Bay Lightning last year. Petr Mrazek's case for starting goalie is certainly a strong one. 

Prediction: Mrazek will end up winning the number one job over Howard. While Howard can be a phenomenal goalie, he lacks the mental strength in being able to bounce back from poor performance, or injury as seen last year. While Mrazek, if he had a bad game, he usually followed it up with a very solid performance. He's a better puck handler which is something that seems to be on the up and up in the NHL. If Mrazek can make sure he isn't too aggressive when coming out to cut down angles (which got him into trouble with Babcock last year) than he will easily win the starting job. 

Red Wings 2015-2016 Season Preview: New Additons

We are now in the month of September which for some people, signifies the end of summer. School is starting up again, the hours of daylight are starting to shorten, cooler temperatures are arriving...okay well not so much this year as its 88 right now where I live. But, September for hockey fans means one thing, hockey season is right around the corner. You start seeing players reporting back to their respective teams cities in preparation of training camps for the new season. Knowing how close the season is has inspired me to take a look at the upcoming season, a bit of a season preview, while players such as, Dan Cleary are gone (as of right now), Jonas Gustavsson is no longer in the Winged Wheel, and trade deadline acquisition Marek Zidlicky was not resigned, the biggest subtraction from the Red Wings was not a player. Mike Babcock who coached the Red Wings for 10 years is now the new bench boss of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jeff Blashill, who coached the Grand Rapids Griffins for the last 3 seasons (and to a Calder Cup Championship in 2013) is now the coach of the Detroit Red Wings. 

The Red Wings also signed a couple of veteran players. Defenseman Mike Green who was a member of the Washington Capitals and Brad Richards who was a member of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. 

Green is 29 years old, he's an offensively gifted defenseman, and maybe most importantly...RIGHT HANDED! The Red Wings finally got the right handed shooting defenseman they have been lacking really since Brian Rafalski retired back in 2011. Green put up 45 points last season (10 goals and 35 assists). While his 70 points a season years are probably far behind him, he's an excellent addition. He's got a great shot, he has a great ability to make passes, and he's a wonderful guy to have on the powerplay. According to GM Ken Holland, the hope is that they can pair Green with Danny DeKeyser who is great defensively. 

Brad Richards who came as a bit of a surprise signing, like Green, has his best years behind him. He's 35, but also coming off a Stanley Cup Championship with the Chicago Blackhawks. He put up 37 points (12 goals and 25 assists) during the 14-15 campaign, and was a key member in the Blackhawks championship run putting up 14 points in 23 games in the playoffs. Richards is figured to be the 2nd line center behind Pavel Datsyuk and ahead of Riley Sheahan, but with the strong possibility that Datsyuk misses the start of the season he may fill in as the number one center. 

All in all, I think both signings were actually pretty good. Green adds experience and skill to an area of the roster that really needed it, and Richards is a low risk-high reward signing. He can serve as a mentor for the young guns of this team such as Nyquist and Tatar. Jeff Blashills' style of coaching doesn't seem to be too much different than the style Babcock ran but Blashill is a more liked coach by the players. This team is certainly ready to make it 25 straight years in the post season. Only one question remains, can we just drop the puck already?