Back in the day, there was a time when the combination of Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Erik Gustafsson were the cause of nightmares for the Detroit Red Wings.

During the 2018-19 season, that trio were linchpins on a potent Chicago Blackhawks power play that was clicking at 20.17%. Kane led the Blackhawks in scoring that season with 44 goals and 110 points. DeBrincat was third on the club with 41 goals and 76 points. Gustafsson would enjoy a career year. He wound up with 17 goals and 60 points.

SHOWTIME Patrick Kane rockets a one-timer past Markstrom to put Detroit up 1-0.

4 game point streak for Kane. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/whyrzbtx6N

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) February 17, 2024

On the power play, Kane was contributing nine goals and 30 points. DeBrincat would account for a team-high 13 power-play goals. Gustafsson put up 4-14-18 numbers when Chicago was enjoying the man advantage.

Two years ago, none of the three were Red Wings. Now that they all are, that chemistry they possess on the power play is already surfacing even during training camp drills.

“Gus does find a way of transporting the puck from the blue line and giving Patrick some time,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “He seems to find a way to bring it to the sweet spot. So there is some chemistry between those three.”

It’s one of the reasons why when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was opting to take his power play expertise elsewhere in the summer, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was setting his sights on acquiring UFA Gustafsson.

“He runs a great power play,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said.

Red Wings DeBrincat Raves About Gustafsson

Lalonde went to the video when determining whether Gustafsson would indeed be a good fit for his team. The study of that chicago power play proved to be eye opening.

“One of a coach’s first exercises is to watch them from their past,” Lalonde explained. “The beauty of technology in this day, you can literally pick out any time of the season.

“I watched a lot of their power play and there is some chemistry there.”

The coach didn’t need to look far to find salesmen willing to step up and pitch him on the advantages Gustafsson could bring when Detroit was in a man-advantage situation.

Red Wings were down 3-1
(Thanks thrown stick)

Come soaring back with goals from Gostisbehere, Larkin and guess who…

DEBRINCAT #LGRW 

This power play is

pic.twitter.com/NhdO3ILz0K

— Jim Costa (@JimCosta_) October 25, 2023

“I think he’s a great passer on the power play and off the power play,” DeBrincat said of Gustafsson. “I think he’s a guy that can really make that first pass out of the zone.

“He’s very deceptive. On the power play you may think he’s shooting, but then he’s giving a nice pass over for a one timer. So I think he adds that aspect of it.”

That deception in Gustafsson’s game is also what Kane finds most enticing.

“He was so deceptive up top, really knows how to run the top, maybe as good as anyone I played with, to be honest with you,” Kane said. “He was a key component to our power play.”

The Red Wings are hopeful that the Chicago trio will be key components to their power play this season.

The post Can Gustafsson, Kane And DeBrincat Rediscover Chicago Chemistry With Red Wings? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

It’s the No. 1 lament of the Detroit Red Wings faithful. Who’s going to make up for the lost goals?

The departure of 75 goals from the club’s lineup is well documented. Going out the door since season’s end were Daniel Sprong (18), David Perron (17), Robby Fabbri (18), Jake Walman (12) and Shayne Gostisbehere (10).

Those who will be tasked with leading the way for the team in terms of goal scoring this season don’t seem to think that they’ll be taxed too much to make up for the absent tallies.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily a concern,” said Alex DeBrincat, author of 27 goals last season. “I think we should be ready to play and hopefully ready to score a lot of goals.”

Debrincat scores his 13th goal of the year. 4-2 Red Wings pic.twitter.com/kdLrijM0VT

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 3, 2023

Certainly, Detroit is going to be able to put out two top lines that should prove formidable when it comes time to light the lamp. IT’s onyl training camp, but the top-six forwards set out by coach Derek Lalonde are telling.

He’s keeping DeBrincat with captain Dylan Larkin (33 goals) and Lucas Raymond (31 goals). They were a potent unit last season.

“I think all of us are looking to grow, too,” DeBrincat said. “All the guys that came back were looking to improve and be better players and obviously, hopefully score more goals.”

A two-time 41-goal scorer with Chicago, it’s interesting to note that last season was considered to be an off year in terms of output for DeBrincat.

Tarasenko, Kane Are Wild Cards For Red Wings

The second line has J.T. Compher between Patrick Kane and newcomer Vladimir Tarasenko. Kane was a 20-goal scorer in 50 games after signing with the Wings in December. If you pro rate Kane’s goal output last season over 82 games, he’d be a 30-goal man.

Showtime is back: Patrick Kane scores his first goal with the Detroit Red Wings. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/rwPlxly8dv

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 10, 2023

Tarasenko is a multiple 30+ sniper during his NHL career. He once netted 40 goals. However, last season he was good for 23.

Still, with one of the greatest passers in the history of the game in Kane to distribute the puck to him, there’s cause to believe that Tarasenko could get back to somewhere near the 34 goals he scored for St. Louis in 2021-22.

“I think he’s a great shooter and he’s similar to DeBrincat in the way where he’s able to find open areas and get his shot off quickly,” Kane said of Tarasenko. “So, hopefully if I’m controlling the puck I can find him in certain areas where he can have a good chance to score.”

Larkin is also viewing Tarasenko as an X-factor when it comes to what he can bring to the Wings.

“I didn’t watch much of the first part of the playoffs, but obviously watched a lot of the finals and later rounds,” Larkin said. “And I watched Florida play and Vladi stuck out to me,” Larkin said. “I think him and Kaner can really click with Kaner’s playmaking ability and Vlad’s finishing and also Vlad’s forecheck. He can get on pucks and be very hard to play against.

“So I’m very excited to watch that line and how it goes throughout the season.”

Last season, this group of six was good for a combined 153 goals. It doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch for them to up that total to at least 165 goals this season.

The post How Many Goals Will Red Wings Top Six Score? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Welcome to the first of what will become a monthly DHN Detroit Red Wings quiz. We were thinking of a way to say thank you to all of our DHN+ subscribers for supporting our site and this is what we decided upon.

Each month, we’ll put forth a quiz of 10 Wings-related questions for you to answer. We were going to put the quiz behind the paywall but then we thought, why shouldn’t everyone get to have some fun?

Here’s the catch, though. Only DHN+ subscribers will be eligible to win our monthly prize package. This month we’re offering a scale model replica of Joe Louis Arena.

Everyone, though can enjoy taking part in the quiz. And you don’t need to answer all the questions correctly in order to win the prize. We will be selecting one DHN+ subscriber at random to be the prize winner. We’ll reveal this month’s answers and prize winner when we unveil the October Red Wings quiz.

So without further ado, let’s get on to the questions:

Which 2015 Detroit draft pick did the Arizona Coyotes trade to the Chicago Blackhawks for current Red Wings forward Patrick Kane?

(a) Evgeny Svechnikov

(b) Villi Saarijarvi

(c) Joren Van Pottelberghe

(d) Patrick Holway

Which Red Wings defenseman appeared in a film starring Frank Sinatra?

(a) Bill Gadsby

(b) Red Kelly

(c) Howie Young

(d) Gerry Odrowski

Michigan alum Andrew Copp of the @DetroitRedWings drops the puck as Michigan Hockey celebrates its 100th anniversary

Welcome back Copper!#GoBlue #LGRW pic.twitter.com/hYo7vILSCo

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) January 14, 2023

Current Red Wings Dylan Larkin, Tyler Motte, J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp were all teammates on the 2014-15 Michigan Wolverines. Who scored the most points among the four players that season?

(a) Larkin

(b) Motte

(c) Compher

(d) Copp

Which Red Wings Goalie Allowed Mr. Hockey’s Last NHL Regular-Season Goal?

Gordie Howe scored one goal against the Red Wings among his 801 NHL regular-season goals and it was No. 801. Which Detroit goalie did Mr. Hockey victimize?

(a) Jim Rutherford

(b) Gilles Gilbert

(c) Larry Lozinski

(d) Rogatien Vachon

Greg Joly scored the last Detroit goal at Olympia Stadium. Dennis Sobchuk scored the first Detroit goal at Joe Louis Arena. They were junior teammates on a Memorial Cup winner. Was it?

(a) Regina Pats

(b) Cornwall Royals

(c) New Westminster Bruins

(d) Toronto Marlboros

Who was his dance partner in the first NHL fight of Bob Probert’s Red Wings career?

(a) Stu Grimson

(b) Clark Gillies

(c) Craig Coxe

(d) Al Secord

Which of the 1967 NHL Expansion teams was the first to beat the Red Wings?

(a) St. Louis Blues

(b) Pittsburgh Penguins

(c) Philadelphia Flyers

(d) Minnesota North Stars

Who was the first Detroit player to score a goal in a Stanley Cup final game?

(a) Larry Aurie

(b) Herbie Lewis

(c) Doug Young

(d) Gord Pettinger

Dylan Larkin in his career:

— 652 games
— 212 goals
— 506 points
— 28 game winning goals

The only Red Wing with 250+ points over the last 10 seasons pic.twitter.com/299DmdO8Bu

— StatMuse Hockey (@statmusehockey) September 8, 2024

Who scored the first Red Wings regular-season goal at Little Caesars Arena?

(a) Dylan Larkin

(b) Martin Frk

(c) Anthony Mantha

(d) Henrik Zetterberg

Who was assessed the first Red Wings penalty in a regular-season NHL game at Little Caesars Arena?

(a) David Booth

(b) Trevor Daley

(c) Mike Green

(d) It was a bench minor

The post Take The DHN Red Wings Quiz appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings will be holding a bobblehead night for Patrick Kane. That could end up being just one of many milestones ahead this season for the veteran forward.

Patrick Kane is getting his own Red Wings bobblehead night.

The first 7,500 fans get one at the game on Tuesday, January 7 vs. the Senators pic.twitter.com/VzJgBzZ0Pq

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 26, 2024

Kane bobblehead night is set for January 7 agains the Ottawa Senators. By then, he should’ve already become the third American NHL player to reach 1300 career points. Kane needs 16 points to hit that milestone. He’d be joining two other former Red Wings, Brett Hull (1391) and Mike Modano (1374).

Kane is also going into the season needing 29 goals to reach 500 as an NHLer. He’d be the sixth US player to join the NHL’s 500-goal club. A longer range project for Kane is 900 assists. He must dish out 86 helpers to get there. However, 81 assists will tie him with Phil Housley for the most-ever by an American NHLer

Speaking of American-born Red Wings, captain Dylan Larkin requires six assists to reach 300. A 60-point season would give Alex DeBrincat 500 NHL points.

JEFF. PETRY. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/tNDtxTKxw4

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) April 12, 2024

And defenseman Jeff Petry will join the NHL’s 1000 games played club if he suits up 63 times this season. Petry is also five goals away from 100 and 23 points from 400.

Red Wings Tarasenko Nearing 300 Goals

Detroit newcomer Vladimir Tarasenko is only seven illuminated red lights away from 300 NHL goals. Tarasenko also is in need of 71 points to get to 700. Good thing he’s signed for two seasons, because unless he enjoys a remarkable campaign, he’s probably not getting 70 points in 2024-25.

Forward Lucas Raymond, who scored a career-high 31 goals last season, needs 29 more to get to 100 in the NHL. A 26-point total will put Raymond to 200 during his NHL career.

Two newcomers between the pipes are also seeking to become milestone men in 2024-25. Cam Talbot, an NHL All-Star Game participant last season, is just 14 appearances away from 500 NHL games. That’s an impressive total for a netminder.

Jack Campbell needs seven wins for 100 as an NHLer. Considering he’s ticketed for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, some misfortune would likley need to happen to the three Detroit goalies ahead of him on the depth chart for Campbell to be accumulating seven NHL wins this season.

Of course, there’s one milestone all Red Wings fans would like to see occur during the upcoming campaign. That would be Detroit putting an end to the club’s eight-season NHL playoff absence.

The post Could be Milestone Campaign for Kane, Red Wings appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

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The post Red Wings Kane, Tarasenko in it to Win it (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

When Patrick Kane was making the choice to remain with the Detroit Red Wings, it was cause for a combination of excitement and relief among both the team’s braintrust and the club’s fanbase.

“Pat had a lot of options,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “He had different options as far as term also.”

As an unrestricted free agent, Kane could’ve chosen any NHL team. He chose to stay put.

https://baseballhall.org/discover/Rodriguez-signing-sparks-Tigers-turnaround#:~:text=It%20started%20with%20the%20Hall,6%2C%202004.

“In my conversations with him, his heart was here,” Lalonde said. “It speaks volumes about Patrick and it also speaks about what we’re doing here the last couple of years.”

The situation is also reminiscent of what took place two decadaes ago with the other big-league franchise under the ownership of the Ilitch family, the MLB Detroit Tigers.

In 2004, the Tigers were wallowing. They’d lost an American League-record 119 games in 2003.

That winter, they convinced 10-time All-Star catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to sign with the team. Instantly, the Tigers had new-found legitimacy.

Like Kane, Rodriguez was a former MVP. As with Kane, who last season was coming back from experimental hip surgery, Rodriguez was a player in his 30s playing the sport’s most demanding position with lingering back issues. Teams were wary to sign him.

The Tigers were the ones who stepped up and it was the first step toward what would be a World Series appearance in 2006.

Red Wings Already Benefitting From Kane’s Presence

Top MLB players began following Rodriguez to Detroit. That, coupled with a strong influx of homegrown talent, propeled the Tigers back to prominence.

Certainly, the Red Wings were further along the rebuilding curve upon Kane’s arrival last November. Definitely, that was playing a role in his decision to re-up with the club.

“My heart was set on being back with Detroit,” Kane said. “I feel like it was, it was a good fit for me, but I also feel like it was a good fit for the team and I feel like I fit in well with the lineup and with the players and the guys.

Patrick Kane, maybe the best #LGRW salesman there is — telling Tarasenko about metro Detroit: pic.twitter.com/1qSVGJyVVU

— Rachel Hopmayer (@rachelhopmayer) July 8, 2024

“So I was looking forward to just kind of building on what we went through last year.”

Already, Kane’s decision is having positive ramifications on the roster. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, the club’s biggest offseason addition, was admitting that Kane’s presence was helping to convince him that Detroit was the place for him.

“I talked to Kaner,” Tarasenko said. “There is a lot of guys who used to play in St. Louis, a lot of familiar faces. They all say only good things about Detroit, the city and the team.

“That’s why we decided to come.”

The post Is Kane Red Wings Version of Pudge? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Yes, it’s true that the Detroit Red Wings will be suiting up five players with 30-goal seasons on their NHL resumes when they take the ice for the 2024-25 season. What’s also true is that more often than not, those 30-goal campaigns were achieved quite some time ago.

Both captain Dylan Larkin (33 goals) and winger Lucas Raymond (31) topped the 30-goal plateau last season. Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko are the others to go over 30 goals during an NHL season. All of them have achieved this milestone several times.

The thing is, for all of them, it’s been a minute or so since it happened. That being the case, are the Red Wings putting too much hope into past performances?

Is it wise, or even likely for that matter, to be expecting Kane, DeBrincat and Tarasenko to return to what they once were in terms of goal scoring? And if they fail to bring that type of output back to the future, how might it impact the chances of the Red Wings ending their eight-season playoff drought?

Kane Still Able

Kane’s Red Wings performance is what the hockey people like to call a small sample size. It’s 50 games, to be precise.

However, he did score 20 goals over those 50 games. Pro-rated over an 82-game season, that would compute to 33 goals.

Kane certainly is of the opinion that he can deliver more goals.

Patrick Kane's 19th. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/aFVHt7lQY4

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 7, 2024

“I had 18 even-strength goals out of 20 goals, which is, you feel like, pretty good, but it should be bolstered up a little bit because you should have more success on the power play,” Kane said.

He’s gone over 30 goals in five NHL seasons, including a personal-best 46 goals in 2015-16. However, Kane’s last 30-goal campaign came in 2019-20 (33 goals).

His goal output over the past four seasons – 15, 26, 21 and 20. That works out to 20.5 goals per season.

DeBrincat Victim Of Hard Luck

The clanging sound continually heard throughout last season was DeBrincat shots ringing off the iron. If they kept a stat on how many times a player hit the post, DeBrincat would surely have been among the league leaders.

He’s scored exactly 27 goals each of the past two seasons, yet each campaign is being viewed as an off-year for the two-time 41-goal scorer. DeBrincat’s shooting percentage in 2022-23 with Ottawa was 10.3% and last season with Detroit, 11.4%. Both were well below his career average of 15.5%.

The Red Wings explode for EIGHT goals and win their sixth straight game!

Shayne Gostisbehere
Lucas Raymond
Joe Veleno
J.T. Compher
Robby Fabbri
Alex DeBrincat
Dylan Larkin

: @Sportsnet | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Ih4j2TephR

— bet365 CA (@bet365ca) February 28, 2024

DeBrincat’s second 41-goal campaign came in 2021-22, his last season with Chicago and skating on the line with Kane. It might be too much to expect that level of output, but it’s not a stretch to suggest he can clear the 30-goal barrier next season.

Tarasenko Trending Downward

There are six 30-goal seasons on Tarasenko’s NHL stats sheet, highlighted by a career-high 40 goals in 2015-16. On the other hand, his most recent 30-goal campaign was when he tallied 34 times for St. Louis in 2021-22.

In the past two seasons, he’s netted 18 goals in 2022-23 and 23 goals in 2023-24. Like Kane, he thinks he can do more.

“I still have some, not only team, but personal goals, too,” Tarasenko said. “I know a lot of people say when you get older, it’s harder to get, but I believe it’s possible.”

In reality, at this stage, getting 25 goals from Tarasenko would be considered a solid season.

The post Red Wings Putting Too Much Hope Into Past Performances? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has been a juggler as much as he’s been a general manager this offseason. He kept many balls in the air while working his way through multiple offseason moves.

With Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond ready for long-term contracts, Yzerman had little salary cap space to work with in the free agent marketplace. That didn’t stop him from making a couple of moves that caught many by surprise, particularly the signing of Vladimir Tarasenko.

Here are Detroit Hockey Now’s grades for Yzerman’s offseason work:

Traded prospect Andrew Gibson to Preds for a second round pick and a prospect

Grade: C+

Not everyone in Detroit loved this move because Gibson has potential to be an all-purpose defenseman. He can be a two-way guy and boasts size (6-foot-3) and an edge.

This deal was all about acquiring the second round pick. The Red Wings needed that second-round pick to clear cap space for another move. The Red Wings liked Gibson, but Yzerman has said in the past that you accumulate draft picks to stock your team and also to use as assets to make trades to improve your team. That’s what Yzerman was doing here.

Could Yzerman have moved another player to obtain the second round pick? It’s impossible to know. Maybe it was Gibson or no deal.

He also picked up  Finnish two-way forward Jesse Kiiskinen, who the Red Wings like. They have more desirable defensemen than forwards on their prospect list. But this deal displeased some fans who watched Gibson play for the Soo Greyhounds this season. Gibson has the potential to be  a very effective defenseman

Trading Jake Walman/Re-Signing Patrick Kane

Grade:  A-

This feels more like landing a new player than re-signing an old one because many believed Kane would leave for a higher salary or more term than Yzerman could offer.

Yzerman didn’t really have the salary cap room to to support re-signing Kane. Projections had Kane able to get offers in the $5 to $6 million range. It seemed as if teams might give him term as well.

Give Yzerman credit being creative enough to keep Kane in a Detroit jersey. First, he traded Walman and his $3.4 million salary to the San Jose Sharks. Walman fell out of favor in Detroit last season, but the reason they traded him was to clear up the cap space.  The price for doing that was giving the Sharks a second-round pick. It was the pick they got for Gibson.

The second-round pick was going rate to move that much salary. The St. Louis Blues got a second-round in 2025 to take center Kevin Hayes and his $3.4 million stipend.

Yzerman had more work to do to land Kane. He used the over-35 bonus option to give himself more buying power. He offered Kane a $4 million base salary, plus $2.5 in bonus opportunities. Some of those bonuses are easily makeable, like $1.5 million for playing 10 games. Those bonuses will be paid out of next season’s cap.

Kane contract has bonuses. Per sources:
$4M base
$1.5M at 10 games
$250k at 60 games
$500k if they make playoffs
$250k for 60 points AND playoffs.

Total is $6.5M https://t.co/VnOZ7wdCiQ

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2024

Retained Fischer, Signed Motte, Said ‘Goodbye’ to David Perron

Grade: B

This did not come down to an either or situation. But the money for Christian Fischer and Tyler Motte together ($1.925 million) is almost exactly what the Senators paid to persuade Perron ($2 million) to go to Ottawa.

The Red Wings wanted to keep Perron — mostly because of his leadership — but didn’t have the cap space to sign them all. They went with two players who can each contribute 100-plus hits.  They will miss David Perron’s 15-18 goals, but Fischer has more scoring potential than he showed last season.

Trade Robby Fabbri to Anaheim/Land Vladimir Tarasenko as UFA

Grade:  A

If you ask this question around the NHL: Would you rather have Fabbri, Perron or Tarasenko?  The answer would be Tarasenko every time.

This was another case of Yzerman making a trade to sign a free agent. He moved Fabbri’s $4 million salary cap (and a conditional fourth-round prick) and then used that money to give Tarasenko a two-year deal at $4.75 million per season.

With the addition of Tarasenko and retaining Kane, the Red Wings now have five forwards among their top six who are proven 30-goal scorers.

Tarasenko is the kind of scorer who can freshen up Detroit’s offense.

Losing Shayne Gostisbehere/Daniel Sprong

Grade: C+

The Red Wings made a reasonable effort to land Gostisbehere because he was so valauble on the power play, but he wanted a three-year deal. The Red Wings didn’t want to go that long.

Sprong hasn’t signed anywhere yet. He’s on this list as a reminder that Yzerman wasn’t able to replace all of the goals he lost to free agency. He’s going to need returning players to improve their output. Jonathan Berggren,  for example, might be able to replace Sprong’s 18 goals.

Signed Erik Gustafsson as UFA

Grade: B

After losing Shayne Gostisbehere, the Red Wings need someone to help the power play as the No. 2 point man. The 32-year-old Swedish player posted 31 points for the New York Rangers last season.

That’s not close to Gostisbehere’s 56. However, Gustafsson put up 60 points for the Chicago Blackhawks one season.

Yzerman Overall Mark

Grade: B

He hit home runs with Kane and Tarasenko and he needed to move players to get that done. He may have left himself a short on goals.

The post State of the Red Wings: Yzerman Offseason Grades appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Everyone has an opinion on what needs to change or improve for the Detroit Red Wings to be a playoff team following the 2024-25 NHL regular season. Even those who play for the Red Wings, as it turns out.

For instance, Patrick Kane has a five-point plan to put the Red Wings into the postseason.

“I think we all want to build on last year,” Kane said. “And I think there’s definitely expectations going into this season, so that’s always a good thing.

Pumped to be back for another one! Big year ahead! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/rPVVgJUi1e

— Patrick Kane (@88PKane) July 1, 2024

“So, I’m excited about being a part of that and hopefully getting the chance to have a good regular season and playoff hockey again.”

Here’s what Kane thinks the Red Wings need to do in order to end their eight-year NHL postseason drought.

Red Wings Can Ramp Up Power Play

“We can be better on the power play,” Kane said. “I think we can be a top-five unit. I think that would be a good goal. We were maybe around 10 (actually ninth) last year, which is still pretty good, but I still think we can be even better.

“I think I can be better on the power play as well. You look back at numbers, I think I had two goals on the power play, so I had 18 even-strength goals out of 20 goals, which is, you feel like, pretty good, but it should be bolstered up a little bit because you should have more success on the power play. Looking forward to building off that.”

Detroit Must Stop Leaking Goals

The Red Wings were 24th overall in the NHL in goals against last season. They allowed 273 goals, or 3.329 goals per game. That was significantly higher than the league average of 3.085 goals-against per game.

Kane knows that’s simply not good enough if playoff hockey is the objective.

“Obviously, we feel we can be a better group defensively,” Kane said. “That’s always a key component to winning and getting into playoffs, and that’s on everyone, right? Not just the guys that are in that role, but everyone needs to play better defensively.

“So I’m sure we’ll go through that as a team and how we want to play in those situations.”

Red Wings Can Count On Depth

Depth scoring was a big part of the club’s success last season. Even with the departures of the likes of forwards Robby Fabbri (18 goals) David Perron (17), Daniel Sprong (18), and defensemen Jake Walman (12) and Shayne Gostisbehere (10), there’s still plenty of firepower top to bottom.

Captain Dylan Larkin (33), Lucas Raymond (31), Alex DeBrincat (27), Vladimir Tarasenko (23), Kane (20), J.T. Compher (19), Michael Rasmussen (13), Andrew Copp (13) and Joe Veleno (12) all hit for double digits in the goals column last season.

“Even last year when I came, I was surprised at the contributions that the team would get from the third and fourth line and key goals here or there,” Kane said.

“It wasn’t like there was so much pressure on one or two guys, but there’s a lot of depth on the team, so we’re able to fill the net pretty good.”

Improving Chemistry With DeBrincat

Kane and DeBrincat were a dynamic duo in Chicago. There was evidence that they were again finding that level of fluidity in Year 1 of the Detroit experiment.

“I mean, yeah, I think so, for sure,” Kane said.

DeBrincat figured in six of Kane’s 20 goals, a 30% rate. Kane was also good for six assists among the 14 goals DeBrincat would score following Kane’s Dec. 7 debut for the Red Wings. That’s a 42.8% success rate. And Kane thinks they’ve got much more that they’re capable of delivering.

“We’ll spend some time together this summer and work out and skate together and talk about things and just always be trying to improve that chemistry,” Kane said. “He’s a kid that I really like being around off the ice, but I still think we have a lot of chemistry on the ice as well, and I still think we can be even better.

“So, yeah, always trying to get to another level.”

Kane Expecting Better Version Of Himself

When counting the ways that the Red Wings can improve, Kane is also counting himself into that equation. Over 50 games last season, he was good for 20 goals. What can be bring to the table during his first full season with the Red Wings?

“For me right now, I think the main focus is to just getting as ready as I possibly can for the season to take that next step to my game and get to the next level,” Kane said. “It was a good fit on and off the ice and had a lot of opportunity to play in some good situations, whether it’s power play or top-six minutes.

Patrick Kane said his hip feels "really good," and his goal is to "take it to another level next year," with the Red Wings, his 18th season in the NHL.

"Really happy with how I’m feeling, with my body and the hip becoming part of my body now and just feeling like it’s all one.… pic.twitter.com/vy7CptcuHE

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 8, 2024

The former Hart and Conn Smythe Trophy winner and three-time Stanley Cup champion thinks he can also be an asset to the team in areas beyond the ice.

“Maybe I’m leaned on a little bit more by the coaching staff in certain areas, or even in the locker room or a leadership role, things like that,” Kane said. “Obviously I’m 35, going to be turning 36 this year. So, I’ve been around for quite a bit and feel like I can bring that leadership aspect to the group and just kind of help the group along, whether it’s in good times or bad times.”

The post Patrick Kane’s Five-Point Plan to Get Red Wings Into Playoffs appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

General manager Steve Yzerman’s commitment to rebuilding the Red Wings through the draft doesn’t mean he won’t turn to proven performers when it comes to making a run at the postseason.

The re-signing of Patrick Kane and the signing of Vladimir Tarasenko means the Red Wings will start the 2024-25 season with five proven 30-plus goal scorers among their top six forwards. Tarasenko has netted 30 or more goals six times, including 34 for the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22.  He netted 23 last season with time spent between the Ottawa Senators and Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

“I still love the game a lot,” Tarasenko said. “I still love to score and just want to prove people I can do it more. And in the meantime, helping the team to step on the next level.”

Tarasenko-Kane Connection

Coach Derek Lalonde has the final say, but Tarasenko, 32, will either play with J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane or with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

Social media suggests there is romance to the idea of playing Tarasenko and Kane together. Kane, 35, has five seasons with 30 or more. He managed 20 goals in 50 games last season.

Tarasenko says playing with Kane would be “amazing.” They’ve both been right wings for most of their career.

Having Kane and Tarasenko on the same team makes the Red Wings a better bet to make the playoffs.

“We played against each other for so many years,” Tarasenko said. “(If) somebody told me at that time, we’ll maybe play together as a line. I’ll be like, there is no way. But I played left last year for the first time in my life. I never played left before I came to Ottawa. I always play only right and I took a little bit of time for me to understand the systems, like how the team play and if you know what you’re doing on the ice. I don’t think there is a difference, like what wing you play. Obviously right is more natural. But like last year I played left in Florida sometimes too, so it’s not a new thing now.”

Yzerman signed Tarasenko as an unrestricted free agent, but it unfolded like a trade. The Red Wings moved Robby Fabbri and his $4 million salary, plus a conditional fourth-round pick, to the Anaheim Ducks to create cap space necessary to sign Tarasenko to a two-year deal at $4.75 million per season.

Recruiting Tarasenko

Getting a second year was critical to wooing Tarasenko.

“My kids play hockey, too,” Tarasenko said. “I know Detroit (has) one of the best youth hockey programs in the States, which is nice, too. And it’s not only what’s happened in hockey. We have a lot of things happening in our lives in the last year. Last year was hard and we are obviously very happy for a trust from our organization. Give us a deal and, we can come and settle and be together as a family.”

Kane’s re-signing was aided by two trades. Even though Kane played for Detroit last season, his signing seems like a new deal because the Red Wings didn’t have enough cap space to do everything they wanted to do. They gave up promising prospect defenseman Andrew Gibson in a deal to get a second-round pick from Nashville. They moved that pick to San Jose as a payment to get them to take Jake Walman and his $3.5 million.

In other words, they traded Gibson and Walman to obtain the cap space they needed to afford his $4 million base salary. (He has makeable bonuses that allow him to earn up to $6.5 million.)

Two Productive Lines

Yzerman said obtaining Kane and his 471 career NHL goals was a priority.  The Red Wings lost more goals than they gained, but now their top two lines have the potential to be high scoring. Kane, Tarasenko, DeBrincat, Raymond and Larkin could all potentially score 30.  Given who is wingers will be, Compher might hit 20 for the first time in his career.

“I feel like last year was very close (for Detroit),” Tarasenko said. “I’m not a person who just comes and hangs out, enjoy my time. I try to win. I really like winning, and we just won the second Cup. But I will do everything I can to help the organization to take the next step, help the guys, share my experience, just do my best to be able to make a playoffs. And once you make a playoffs, you never know what’s gonna happen. So that’s the reason I come, because I like the way the team played, and I believe this team can make (the) playoffs and do special things.”

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