As the offseason approaches its end, the Detroit Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman have a handful of new players within the organization. Mixing these players into the core group they already had in place should make for an interesting and exciting season for the organization and its fans. However, there are also still a few questions that remain with training camp just around the corner.
Who’s the Odd Man Out in Net?
One of the biggest areas of question heading into this season will be the goaltending situation. After Ville Husso struggled to stay healthy or play as much as hoped, Alex Lyon took over the reins and did so more than admirably. James Reimer did not come back to the team after the one-year contract he signed last offseason, and Yzerman decided to bring, surprisingly, two more goalies into the fold.
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While the signing of Jack Campbell is likely more of a depth move and one that will see him spend most of his time mentoring and playing alongside Sebastian Cossa with the Grand Rapids Griffins, there is likely going to be a battle for the backup spot between fellow free-agent signee Cam Talbot and the returning Husso.
Keeping three goalies on the roster last season worked out in the Red Wings’ favor due to Husso’s battles with injuries. Still, Yzerman seemed like he did not want to keep three on the roster earlier on in the offseason, so the big question becomes who the odd man out will be at the goalie position. Talbot is coming off a strong season with the Los Angeles Kings, while Husso is looking to get back to full health and look more like the goalie he was with the St. Louis Blues, so this situation may end up playing itself out throughout the preseason and into the regular season.
What Does the Defense Look Like?
The one area Yzerman mentioned needed the most work heading into this offseason was the defense. This gave many fans the hope that he would make a move or two to drastically improve the back end, but they were, for the most part, disappointed. There were rumors for a while of New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba possibly being traded to the Red Wings, but that never came to fruition.
The biggest moves made defensively were the signing of Erik Gustafsson and the re-signing of prospect Albert Johansson. Gustafsson will try to fill the hole left by Shayne Gostisbehere, and Johansson should be able to battle for a spot in the lineup. Where the questioning and intrigue come in is regarding pairings for the season. The only clear-cut aspect is that Moritz Seider will be on the top pairing. Who will be with him is the question. It is likely that Ben Chiarot will be with Seider and Simon Edvinsson and Jeff Petry will be paired together as well after looking like a capable pairing once Edvinsson earned his call-up toward the end of last season. The final pairing is a question mark due to the fact that Yzerman has Justin Holl, who played in only 38 games after signing a three-year contract last offseason, and there is only one spot for two defensemen in Johansson and Holl.
Who Goes Where Up Front?
While the team has quite the group of forwards in tow, where to put everyone is the challenge now. Last season, head coach Derek Lalonde kept Dylan Larkin with Lucas Raymond for most of the season, and that is likely to be the case once again. Who will slot in on the other first-line wing comes down to whether Lalonde wants to split up Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane or not. He could easily put Vladimir Tarasenko on the first line with Larkin and Raymond and have Kane and DeBrincat lead the second line with JT Compher. Obviously, training camp and the preseason will dictate how the forward lines look at the beginning of the season, but it is clearly a big question heading into the season.
Time Will Only Tell How Everything Shakes Out
While there are plenty of questions for Red Wings fans to ask and wonder about, there is time between training camp and the preseason to see how things will all shake out for the team. Hopefully, things will work out for the better for the organization, and the playoff drought can finally end.
