Let’s be sincere right here, Detroit hasn’t had an excellent begin to the 2024-25 season. Whereas it’s not essentially a misplaced season but, it’s nonetheless November in spite of everything, there’s undoubtedly a darkish cloud across the group today, with final 12 months’s success casting a protracted shadow over this 12 months’s troubles. It’s impossible that the group lastly breaks their franchise worst playoff drought this 12 months, however there’s no motive to despair simply but.
From the emergence of Simon Edvinsson as a primary pairing high quality defender, to Marco Kasper‘s fast stand up the group’s depth chart, and some gifted prospects to regulate, there’s plenty of good coming down the road for Detroit. Let’s check out 5 main storylines for Crimson Wings followers to comply with over the remaining three quarters of the 2024-25 season, to assist maintain your thoughts off of playoff hockey.
1. Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider’s Success On the High Pairing
After Seider constantly noticed the NHL’s hardest minutes within the 2023-24 season, a slight ease up of problem and a brand new protection associate has been simply what the physician ordered. Detroit leaned on Seider so closely final season that his numbers, each conventional and superior statistics, took a critical hit. Nevertheless, since being paired with Detroit’s different sixth total choose on the backend, Seider has had an actual bounce-back 12 months in relation to play-driving.
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The pairing has been Detroit’s greatest and most constant one amongst areas of the sport, with head coach Derek Lalonde constantly trusting Seider and Edvinsson with essentially the most minutes on the group. The Crimson Wings have out-shot, out-chanced, and out-scored their opponents with their high pairing out on the ice, one thing that not one of the group’s different common defensive pairings have been in a position to do. Sometime it will be good to have the ability to break up up the group’s two massive, cell defenders, however for now they’ll accept one wonderful d-pairing.
2. Goaltending Has Been Higher Than Anticipated
Coming into this season it was simple to level to the Crimson Wings’ goaltending as one of many weakest areas of the roster. Nevertheless, that hasn’t been the case by way of the primary quarter of the 12 months, with Detroit sitting thirteenth within the NHL for save share. The signing of Cam Talbot particularly has been an enormous win for the group early on this 12 months, with Talbot already saving 7.6 targets above anticipated (per Cash Puck), the sixth highest mark within the NHL.
Talbot has been exceptional early on, giving Detroit an opportunity to win many video games that they haven’t had any proper to win. Alex Lyon has been stable once more for the Crimson Wings as soon as once more, although he isn’t more likely to take Talbot’s spot because the starter any time quickly and will value himself out of Detroit’s backup spot by the tip of the 12 months. If Detroit’s goaltending can stay within the top-half of the league, that could be sufficient to maintain the group afloat whereas they type out their lack of 5-on-5 scoring.
3. Marco Kasper a Second Line Middle Already
When Marco Kasper was despatched all the way down to the Grand Rapids Griffins to begin this season, it appeared like he was headed for the Simon Edvinsson NHL path that will contain a ton of additional endurance from the fanbase. That didn’t final lengthy.
After scoring two factors in two AHL video games, Kasper was known as as much as the Crimson Wings and has labored his method as much as being the group’s second line heart for a number of consecutive video games. Kasper’s combo of relentless work ethic and slick one-on-one ability has helped him succeed whereas enjoying with every kind of wingers, although his rising chemistry with Jonathan Berggren has been essentially the most thrilling a part of this all for me.
Kasper hasn’t been scoring a ton of factors simply but, but it surely took him a number of months within the AHL final 12 months earlier than he began to place the puck within the internet and it’s already clear that he’s adapting to the NHL’s pace. It’s each an indictment of the group’s heart depth and a praise to Kasper’s improvement that he has surpassed the likes of Joe Veleno, J.T. Compher, and Andrew Compher on the middle depth chart.
4. Axel Sandin Pellikka Chasing Historical past within the SHL
Axel Sandin Pellikka (ASP) is Detroit’s greatest prospect who isn’t at the moment enjoying of their North American system, as an alternative enjoying with Skellefteå AIK on a mortgage within the SHL. He’s a wonderful offensive defender who’s aggressive defensively and initiatives to be a high-end energy play quarterback.
After a powerful 12 months in Sweden’s high professional league final 12 months, ASP has already matched his level whole in roughly half the video games, placing himself on tempo to have among the best U20 scoring seasons in SHL historical past, that’s amongst all gamers, not simply defensemen. Sandin Pellikka is ready to return to the World Juniors for Sweden as soon as once more this Winter, making his third look. It will likely be tons of enjoyable to see what he can accomplish there, after being named the highest defenseman in final 12 months’s match.
5. Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine Proceed to Development Up
Whereas Detroit’s present goaltending scenario has been extra optimistic than anticipated, it’s also a really quick time period victory since Lyon’s contract is up this 12 months and Talbot will likely be a free agent following the 2025-26 season. Fortunate for Detroit, Sebastian Cossa seems to be almost able to be an NHL backup. After his professional debut as a stable beginning goalie within the ECHL again within the 2022-23 season, Cossa was a dependable starter within the AHL final season.
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That was an thrilling improvement since Cossa could also be Detroit’s prospect with the very best possibilities of actually elevating the group’s long-term projection, nonetheless, his play early this 12 months has been much more promising. In his first 12 video games this 12 months, Cossa holds a .931 save share (SV%), the fourth highest amongst AHL goalies with at the very least 8 begins. If he generally is a .920 SV% goalie within the AHL this 12 months as a full-time starter, then I count on Cossa to earn himself a few NHL video games this Spring because the group auditions him for the backup goalie spot subsequent 12 months.
Detroit’s second high-end goalie prospect, Trey Augustine, has additionally had a exceptional begin to the season, with an early 8-1-0 report for Michigan State College to go along with a glowing .931 SV%. Augustine by no means shies away from massive moments, already successful bronze and gold medals for Crew USA on the World Juniors (and he’s set to return one remaining time this December) and even incomes a few video games on the Males’s World Championships final Summer season. I believe it’s cheap to count on Augustine to signal with Detroit this coming Spring and get a number of AHL video games in earlier than his offseason begins. The longer term is vibrant in Detroit’s crease.
All Hope Is Not Misplaced
Whereas the Crimson Wings’ begin has actually been a disappointment following their playoff near-miss final 12 months, there are nonetheless loads of causes to consider that that is the muse of a extremely stable NHL group. It’s extra seemingly that we’ll be watching the Tankathon Draft Lottery Simulator than the NHL standings this Spring, however Detroit’s greatest years are nonetheless forward, with the addition of a younger offensive defender more likely to crack the top-4, the group’s greatest goaltending prospects in many years, and the continued improvement of younger gamers like Kasper all seemingly to assist this group stage up.
