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.

Vladimir Tarasenko got his day with the Stanley Cup on the weekend. One of the free agents who was joining the Detroit Red Wings over the summer, Tarasenko’s final act as a member of the Florida Panthers was to enjoy a personal day with the fruits of their labor last spring.

As a going away present to the Sunshine State, Tarasenko made a $10,000 donation to the Broward Health Medical Center. He brought the Cup there so patients could feel its magic.

The smile says all! Vladimir Tarasenko hoists it high. 2 time #stanleycup champion. @nhl@FlaPanthers @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/U4HDxNHGcn

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) September 2, 2024

“We are very happy and proud to share this moment with you today,” Tarasenko told those who were gazing upon the wonder of Lord Stanley’s cherished mug.

It was the second Stanley Cup win for Tarasenko during his NHL career. He was also part of the St. Louis Blues team that captured the Cup in 2018-19.

The Red Wings haven’t won a Stanley Cup since the 2007-08 season. That was two years before the Blues made Tarasenko the 16th overall pick of the 2010 NHL entry draft.

Tarasenko Coming To Detroit To Keep Winning

While he wasn’t promising to deliver a Stanley Cup to Hockeytown immediately, it’s certainly part of the plan that Tarasenko sees for Detroit. Upon signing his two-year pact with the Red Wings, he let everyone know that he’s not someone who cottons to resting on his laurels.

“I feel like last year was very close,” Tarasenko assessed of the Red Wings 2023-24 season. “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, like I said, I like the way the team played, and I believe this team can make a playoffs and do some special things.”

The post So That’s What a Red Wings Player Lifting The Stanley Cup Looks Like 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.

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.

Growing up in Yaroslavl, Russia, they were the childhood heroes of Detroit Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Russian Five were iconic in his view.

“I think this is Detroit as a team,” Tarasenko explained. “It’s one of the most famous, if not the most famous team in the world.

“Like, when you talk about how to give it a history and no offense to other teams, but we grew up in Russia. A lot of people follow Detroit because of the Russian Five.

Vlad Tarasenko said when he got his first play station, he played as the Red Wings. The Russian Five being very popular where he grew up. #LGRW

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) July 8, 2024

“When I had my first PlayStation. I was playing for Detroit too, with my friend. So, yeah, this was the team all the kids in my neighborhood where I grow up, when we talk about hockey.”

In Scandinavia, a similar scenario was playing out inside the childhood home of Detroit defenseman Erik Gustafsson in Nynashamn, Sweden. He also worshipped at the altar of the Red Wings, but his iconic hero was a different winged wheel legend.

“The history of this club, my favorite defenseman growing up was Nicklas Lidstrom,” Gustafsson said. “It’s obviously a great organization.”

Tarasenko Wore Fedorov’s 91

When he broke into the NHL with the St. Louis Blues in 2012, Tarasenko donned the No. 91 jersey made famous by Red Wings superstar Sergei Fedorov. Many hockey people drew parallels between the young Tarasenko and Fedorov, but he insists he wasn’t a massive Fedorov fan.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say, like, I don’t want to lie to you. I wouldn’t say I was, like, super fan,” Tarsenko said. “I like how he played a lot, but in that time, when I was young, we don’t have many options to follow the league.

“So it’s not like nowadays where you can YouTube the highlights and see whatever you want. Like the place where I grew up, back home in Russia, we don’t really have NHL on the TV at that time, so it was hard to follow.”

As he made the grade in the NHL. Gustfasson befriended another Swedish defenseman playing for the Red Wings, Niklas Kronwall.

“When Kronwall was playing, I was working out with him in Sweden, so I know him,” Gustafsson said.

Erik Gustafsson, signed 2x$2M by DET, is a two-way puck-moving defenceman who's especially useful in the offensive zone. Has come into his own in the past two seasons as a very strong option to win minutes with a third pairing. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/h6UxNOTRP1

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2024

Now the director of European player development for the Red Wings, Kronwall reached out to welcome Gustafsson into the fold.

“I signed and then we talked a little bit, it wasn’t too much,” Gustafsson said. “We texted each other.

“He was very happy I was part of the organization.”

Ready To Help Red Wings Return To Glory

Both players were UFA additions this month. Each is excited to be part of this legendary NHL club. They’re also anxious to help the Red Wings return to the glory days they witnessed as fans during their youth.

“I was very happy they called my agent and could get a deal done,” Gustafsson said. “I’m happy to be a part of this team.”

They want to be part of the solution in seeking to return playoff hockey to Hockeytown.

“It’s pretty exciting to join a team, wear the jersey and try to help the team win,” Tarasenko said.

The post Strong Red Wings Ties Among Newcomers to Club appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

One facet that Vladimir Tarasenko will be bringing to the ice for the Detroit Red Wings is that he will be upsizing the club’s forward line. The Red Wings don’t have another player in the lineup with the combination of size and scoring touch like the package that is the 6-foot-1, 219-pound Tarasenko.

“For sure,” Detroit GM Steve Yzerman said, acknowledging the uniqueness of Tarasenko on his club’s roster. “A left-shot winger, a bigger body, a different-type player than our other wingers like Lucas (Raymond), Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat.

“He’s a scorer, a straight-ahead guy who’s big and strong and will go to the net. We feel it’s a really good addition.”

Vladimir Tarasenko in the 2024 playoffs:

— 24 GP
— 5 Goals (1 GWG)
— 4 Assists
— +4
— 46 Hits
— 19 Blocks

Will always be a Panthers legend for scoring this goal and sending the Cats to the SCFpic.twitter.com/mUl7qTjw7o

— FL PanthersMuse (@flpanthersmuse) July 4, 2024

There are different methods through which a bigger player can utilize their body to bring successful outcomes on the ice. Tarasenko isn’t a Brendan Shanhan type. He’s not going to be banging bodies, dropping the mitts and collecting Gordie Howe hat-tricks.

Nor is he James van Riemsdyk. Tarasenko won’t be camping out at the net front, tipping home pucks and knocking in rebounds.

His big game is more about maximizing his frame to get and maintain possession of the puck in the offensive zone.

“He’s obviously a skilled guy, a great shooter, but he works so hard,” said Kane, Tarasenko’s teammate with the New York Rangers in 2022-23. “He’s hard on pucks. He wins a lot of pucks back, and he’s got a great knack for getting open as well, so I think it’d be a good fit.”

Tarasenko A Menace On The Attack

That tenacity, combined with a heavy shot and elite touch with the puck, has enabled the 32-year-old Russian to collect six 30-goal seasons as an NHLer. That total includes five seasons in a row from 2014-15 through 2018-19. Tarasenko scored a career-high 40 goals in 2015-16.

“You don’t want him to shoot the puck with a clear lane,” Red Wings checking forward Christian Fischer said. “I think that is very evident.

“He’s one of the premier I mean, one of the most elite shots in the NHL. He’s scored huge goals.”

Plays With A Mean Streak

Fischer also admires that for all of his skill, Tarasenko also plays with an edge to his game.

“I think the big thing about him too, what I really respect about his game is as talented as he is and how gifted he is offensively, I think he has some meanness to him and he competes his ass off,” Fischer said. “He has a heavy, thick body that can outmuscle you, too.”

The Red Wings have signed Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year, $9.5M deal. #NHLFreeAgency | @BET99ON pic.twitter.com/FkIfb3ZP2o

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 3, 2024

Even though he’s coming to Detroit off a Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers, Tarasenko vows that he’s still driven to achieve more. After averaging just over 20 goals per season the past two campaigns, he’s also anxious to show his critics that he’s still got plenty of goals remaining in his arsenal.

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

The post Tarasenko Will Upsize Red Wings Forwards appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

When he was agreeing to terms recently on a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, forward Vladimir Tarasenko was especially delighted that the pact was for two years.

“We have a lot of things happening in our lives in the last year,” Tarasenko was explaining. “Last year was hard and it’s not only what’s happened in hockey.

“We are obviously very happy for a trust from our organization. Give us a deal and, you know, we can come and settle and just be together as a family.”

Family is very important in Tarasenko’s life and on Wednesday, he lost a vital cog in his family. Tarasenko’s father Andrei died suddenly in Russia at the age of 55.

HC Sibir has confirmed this.
Andrei Tarasenko has passed away. #RIP
56 years old. https://t.co/mbi0VHV2FB pic.twitter.com/MYIHzNzn4v

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) July 11, 2024

Andrei Tarasenko was a prominent hockey player in Russia in the mid-1990s. He would win a bronze medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and also play for Russia in the 1995 World Cup of Hockey. the elder Tarasenko was working as a development coach with HC Sibir of the KHL at the time of his death.

“My first memory of this is from Olympic Games in 1994,” Vladimir Tarasenko wrote in an article for the Players’ Tribune. “He comes home, from Lillehammer, after the tournament, with a video. This tape has all of my dad’s games from the two weeks, plus the full closing ceremony.

“So, you know, I watch this. Rewind. Watch again. Rewind. Watch again. I can’t believe how hard he shoots. But what I remember most is the passing. I’m telling you, it’s insane. On (the) tape of (his) teammate every time. Pass, bang, on tape. Every time.”

Red Wings Tarasenko Had Mentor In Father

After his playing days, Andrei Tarasenko became his son’s coach. Vladimir gives much credit for his growth and development into an NHLer to his dad.

Like his son, Andrei Tarasenko was a clinical finisher on the ice. Andrei Tarasenko was MVP and leading scorer of the KHL in 1997-98.

Three generations of Tarasenkos, including grandfather and father of Vladimir Tarasenko, and the Stanley Cup in Novosibirsk, Russia #stlblues … https://t.co/52dfdO005Y

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) August 19, 2019

“(Vladimir) grew up on my goals,” Andrei Tarasenko once explained to Russia’s Sport-Express. “In the morning before breakfast, he watched the disks.

“We watched, studied the spots from which to shoot. Yes, the speeds are not the same, of course. But the decisions and principles of the game remain.”

The post Tarasenko, Newest Red Wings Player, Suffers Tragic Loss appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

In desperate need of scoring, the Detroit Red Wings found an answer to help them keep producing numbers in the red-light district. The club and UFA Vladimir Tarasenko are in agreement on a two-year contract with an AAV of $4.75 million.

The Russian right-winger was a 23-goal scorer the past season, which saw him splitting time between the Ottawa Senators and Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Tarasenko, 32, is just two seasons removed from a 34-goal campaign with the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22.

HEADED TO THE TARASENK-SHOW!

The #RedWings today signed forward Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract with an AAV of $4.75M. pic.twitter.com/ZLR93snIdW

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 3, 2024

However, it also can’t be denied that he’s been in somewhat of a decline in terms of potting goals over the past couple of seasons. And Tarasenko is also becoming a well-traveled NHLer. Last season, he would tally 18 goals in a campaign split between the Blues and New York Rangers.

Detroit will be his fifth NHL club since the start of the 2022-23 season.

Published reports were indicating that Tarasenko turned down a $4.3-million per season offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this week.

Tarasenko Compared To Red Wings Icon Fedorov

Early in his career, hockey people were drawing parallels between Tarasenko and Red Wings icon Sergei Fedorov. Indeed, Tarasenko, who wore number 91 in St. Louis – Fedorov’s number in Detroit – grew up in his homeland a major fan of the Red Wings.

“So many Russian players were here and pretty much the whole of Russia were cheering for Detroit,” Tarasenko said in a 2013 interview with the Windsor Star.

Hall of Fame coach Ken Hitchcock, who had Tarasenko sitting on the bench in front of him when he was in charge of the Blues, thinks Red Wings fans will warm to what Tarasenko brings to the ice.

“He just kind of wows you with his tenacity on the puck, his ability to make plays in small spaces,” Hitchcock said of Tarasenko. “He’s so strong on the puck.”

FLA pic.twitter.com/MIThmd7OUB

— Vladimir Tarasenko (@tara9191) June 25, 2024

Since the conclusion of the season, Detroit has bid adieu to 57 goals in the form of Daniel Sprong (18), David Perron (17), Jake Walman (12) and Shayne Gostisbehere (10).

A five-time 30-goal scorer, Tarasenko would score a career-high 40 goals in 2015-16. His Cup win in Florida last month was the second of his career. Tarasenko also was a Cup winner with the Blues in 2018-19.

The post Seeking Scoring, Red Wings Sign UFA Tarasenko appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Red Wings and other playoff hopefuls must keep up with the Florida Panthers, not the Joneses.

The Panthers, already owning the NHL’s best record, added another offensive weapon Tuesday when they gave up a fourth round pick in 2024 and a third round pick to land Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators.

Tarasenko has put up 17 goals and 41 points this season. But he has scored 33 or more goals six times in his career.

Florida already ranks eighth in the NHL in scoring (3.32 goals per game average).  Now, they are adding an impact player who will improve their top nine forward group.

If the Red Wings earn one of the wild card spots, they could end up meeting the Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs. Florida downed the Red Wings 4-0 last week in a meeting at Little Caesars Arena.

George Richards, a veteran Florida Hockey Now writer, says the Panthers may make other additions.

Dumba Has Suitors

“Although the Panthers defense has been one of their strong suits,” Richards wrote,  “expect Florida to be on the market for another defenseman.”

Richards believes the Panthers may not have the necessary assets to acquire Noah Hanifin or Jakob Chychrun. But they could make a strong enough offer to acquire Arizona’s Matt Dumba.

GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t tip his hand at the trade deadline. But rival teams believe Yzerman will add a defenseman if he can trade Justin Holl who has been the team’s No. 7 defenseman of late. It’s suspected Yzerman inquired about Hanifin, Chychrun and Dumba.

If he isn’t involved in those deals, it is presumed Yzerman’s first choice would be to add a defense-first blueliner who offers a layer of belligerence. He wants someone who is hard to play against.

The Red Wings are listed as a potential suitor for Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel. However, it seems as if the Vancouver Canucks are the favorite. St. Louis forward Pavel Buchnevich and Anaheim’s Frank Vatrano might also be on Detroit’s radar.

Some teams are said to be interested in Jonatan Berggren, but it’s not known whether the Red Wings are willing to move him. He has played impressively well in Grand Rapids.

It’s possible Yzerman may not do much of anything. The team seems to have solid chemistry, four-line scoring, dependable goaltending and a team-wide buy-in on how they need to play to be successful.

Early Shoppers

Coach Derek Lalonde said recently the bold move may be for the Red Wings to stand pat. But Yzerman’s history says he prefers to be aggressive. He has said multiple times he’s interested in any move that makes his team better.

Other Eastern teams made moves on a very active Wednesday.  The Buffalo Sabres added more talent to their defense by acquiring Bowen Byram. Buffalo already boasts Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. They gave up skillful forward Casey Mittelstadt (47 points in 62 games).

The Philadelphia Flyers, holding an Eastern playoff spot with a third place position in the Metropolitan, received the Colorado Avalanche first round pick for defenseman Sean Walker. The Flyers also took center Ryan Johansen’s contract from Colorado. Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere placed Johansen  on waivers after the deal was announced.

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