Red Wings' biggest surprise, disappointment to start 2024-25 season
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The Detroit Red Wings certainly hope to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. Detroit nearly made it in 2024, but fell short by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Washington Capitals. The team has leaned a bit more toward a youth movement as they relied less on splashy free-agency moves over the summer. Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper, for instance, have seen playing time at the NHL level.
So far, things could certainly be better for the Winged Wheel. Detroit is seventh in the Atlantic Division at this time with a 6-7-1 record. Only one point separates them from the last-place Montreal Canadiens. However, they are also three points back of the Ottawa Senators, who own the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Some of the team’s usual suspects have shown up. Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider are early standouts. And the team’s concerns over goaltending have proven true to this point. However, there have been some surprise developments over the team’s first 14 games. Let’s take a look at these developments as the Red Wings’ season heads into its second month.
Simon Edvinsson has surpassed expectations
The Red Wings have long expected Simon Edvinsson to become a star. Detroit selected the Swedish rearguard with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. They passed on a more hyped-up prospect in Brandt Clarke to do so, as well. Clarke has impressed with the Los Angeles Kings, but Edvinsson is also making an impression.
Edvinsson has played in all of Detroit’s 14 games so far. And he has certainly become a fixture at the top of the lineup. In fact, only his defensive partner Moritz Seider has averaged more time on ice per game for the Red Wings this season.
The Seider-Edvinsson pairing has proven to be a successful one, as well. Detroit’s top pairing ranks 13th in the entire league for Expected Goals Against Per 60 Minutes, according to MoneyPuck. Additionally, they rank 13th in the league for Expected Goals For Percentage.
Some may chalk the pairing’s success up to Seider. And the Red Wings star certainly plays a part. However, Edvinsson is also playing rather well defensively. He has allowed 1.97 Goals Against Per 60 Minutes at 5v5, according to Evolving Hockey. Furthermore, the rookie rearguard has an On-Ice Save Percentage of .931 at 5v5.
The Winged Wheel certainly believed Edvinsson was ready for the NHL. In saying this, he has surpassed any expectations fans could have reasonably had at the start of the year. His current run of play has to give the team hope that this is only the beginning.
Red Wings offense has completely bottomed out
The Red Wings nearly made the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the back of a dynamic offensive attack. Detroit could score at will it seemed during some of their games. Lucas Raymond emerged as one of the team’s best players. He also received a massive contract extension for his efforts. Patrick Kane proved to be a smart signing, as well. Overall, it was hard to stop Detroit when they were in the offensive zone.
However, the offensive firepower from last year has completely evaporated. To be fair, there were signs of potential offensive regression for the Red Wings. But no one expected the offense to fall off this hard and to this extent.
The Red Wings rank 31st in the entire league for Goals For Per 60 Minutes at 5v5, according to Evolving Hockey. In fact, no Eastern Conference team has a lower GF/60 than Detroit. Only the Nashville Predators have a worse GF/60 at this point.
Detroit has somewhat of a saving grace, as they have a top-10 power play unit. But even with that factored in, their GF/60 remains at the bottom of the entire Eastern Conference. Moreover, they go from the second-worst offensive team in the NHL to the fourth-worst.
Unfortunately, signs for a potential rebound are not encouraging. Detroit is eighth in the NHL in terms of xGF/60 in all situations, according to Evolving Hockey. If the Red Wings find themselves in a playoff race, this is going to become a true issue.
The Red Wings have the talent to score goals. They showed it last season, and the team remains largely unchanged in 2024-25. It will certainly be interesting to see if Detroit is going through an offensive slump or if this is a more permanent regression.
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