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Hot or Him: Over-Performances or Improved Players?

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Alexander DeBerardinis | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 12:30 PM ET

For a team that was most likely to miss the playoffs, a 4-1-0 start is certainly something to take note of. Detroit has been able to sweep last season’s divisional seeds, beating Toronto, Florida, and Tampa Bay in one week. To do that, Detroit needed great efforts all throughout the week. Are some of Detroit’s key players taking a step, or did they just have a good week?

Dylan Larkin: Him

Through 5 games, Dylan Larkin has 7 points. Larkin has been doing it in such a wide variety of ways. On the power play, Larkin has 2 goals and 1 assist. With Lucas Raymond, Larkin was a point per game. Without Raymond, Larkin has turned Appleton into a top-six winger. It goes beyond impressive counting stats; Larkin has not been on the ice for a goal against yet. He’s 61% in the face-off dots as well. His CF% doesn’t look good, but he’s also facing that brutal deployment like he used to, so don’t put too much stock into it. No, Larkin won’t continue his 115 point pace, but this might be the season he hits 85. Without a doubt, Larkin looks like he might be that guy this season.

Cam Talbot: Hot

Cam Talbot is playing unreal right now. His .932% save percentage is pretty unreal. Despite playing behind an improved Red Wings blue line, Cam Talbot is obviously unsustainably hot right now. I do think that McClellan and Yawney have had this team working well enough defensively that Talbot should still have good stats. Expect Talbot to be a slightly above-average backup goalie, not a game-breaking starter for weeks at a time.

Emmitt Finnie: Him

Finnie has a handful of points through the first few, but he’s been damn solid away from the scoresheet. His consistent speed above 20MPH complements Larkin well. Finnie has been on the ice for one goal against all season, despite playing against elite competition with Larkin. He also gained some trust by getting penalty kill minutes. If you’re a stat-sheet stalker, don’t worry. When Raymond returns, Finnie should start grabbing a couple more points.

Jacob Bernard-Docker: Him

Believe it or not, Bernard-Docker has played against as much elite competition as Moritz Seider has. Seider is playing against 0.1 QoC, and Bernard-Docker is at 0.7. The guy is playing well and has been a big part of holding down that third pair. The Red Wings defence core has been really solid this season, and he is one of two new faces there. For the minutes he’s playing, his expected goals share and deployment charts look quite nice.

John Gibson: Him

Honestly, deep down, I think we all knew that the first game wasn’t all Gibson was. Gibson bounced back well against Tampa. Now that we saw the worst case scenario and the best, we know Gibson falls somewhere in the middle to be a solid number one who should be able to help Detroit get some real goaltending through he regular season. Dobber Frozen Tools gave his game against Tampa the “steal” tag, which ties his amount of steals from last season already. Things are looking up for Gibby after a rough start.

Mason Appleton: Hot

He’s the story of the week, three goals in Lucas Raymond’s absence has Appleton playing well on the top line. As it stands, though, his 4 points in 5 games are unlikely to continue without Dylan Larkin. Believe me, it’s not an insult; Appleton has won me over, too, but his production is no doubt tied to the dog that is Dylan Larkin.

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