Gustav Nyquist

Detroit Red Wings season preview: New coach, same outcome

Published Oct. 5, 2015 10:49 a.m. ET

foxsports

Plus: The amount of depth the Detroit Red Wings have among their forward unit is impressive. The team no longer needs to rely heavily on Henrik Zetterberg or the currently-injured Pavel Datsyuk to be the sole providers of offense. That torch is shared with Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader. Abdelkader established himself as a legitimate top-six forward last year with 23 goals and 21 assists, both career highs. Throw in Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, Tomas Jurco and new arrival Brad Richards, and you have a fearsome and versatile grouping of forwards. Dylan Larkin has a legitimate chance at making the roster, and he provides Detroit with another weapon up front, even at the age of 19.

Minus: There is stiff competition for the starting goaltender job this year between Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek. Howard, the veteran goalie that has manned the pipes in Detroit for the last six seasons, looked shaky all throughout last season and finished just 33rd in the league in save percentage (.910). Mrazek, who has 40 games of NHL experience, was given the starting role during the Red Wings lone playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning after a regular season in which he finished with .918 save percentage, good for 17th in the league. Does it really matter who wins the battle for the starting goaltender position, because can either one of these guys realistically lead this team deep into the playoffs?

X-Factor: Jeff Blashill

Detroit has made the playoffs for 24 straight seasons, the longest active streak in all of North American major professional sports. This team has proven they know what it takes to get to the playoffs. But the Red Wings haven’t made it past the Conference Semifinal since the 2008-09 season. It is Jeff Blashill’s job to get the Red Wings to the next level. He has gigantic shoes to fill after Mike Babcock left for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Blashill has almost literally been bred for this position. The former Grand Rapid Griffins coach, the Red Wings AHL affiliate, has familiarity with a lot of current Red Wings players. Does the well-oiled machine keep on chugging with Blashill, or does it sputter and fail?

Prediction: The Detroit Red Wings will extend their playoff streak to a quarter of a century. Few teams can match Detroit’s forward depth, but an underwhelming goalie tandem accompanied with an average defensemen grouping will ultimately be the Red Wings’ demise.