Red Wings Mid-Season Hot Takes

Mid-season? Are we over 50 games in? I know. Look, my definition of mid-season is just the break. We all know that the first ten games of the season don’t count anyway. Look, Detroit has been pretty divisive this season. There have been some really bad games this season that really crushed fans’ hope, two games against the Islanders and the recent Kings loss fall into this group. There have been a lot of really inspiring efforts for this team to have genuine playoff aspirations; the Dallas Stars‘ overtime thriller and sweeping the Maple Leafs went a long way.

So with all of this talk about the Red Wings, I’m going to be issuing some of my hottest takes this season based on how hot I think they are. I’ll start out fairly tame before getting into the really crazy stuff more towards the end. Engagement helps, sue me.

Not Too Crazy:

The Detroit Red Wings will record over 100 points: to me, this one isn’t too crazy. I think that the Atlantic Division is so good right now that they will be one of many teams in the division alone to do it. In order to make this happen, Detroit needs to record 31 points in 28 games. It should happen unless something goes wrong in March, which I’m not beyond expecting.

Marco Kasper will record at least 30 points: Look, we’re already at 12 total with 6 points in his last 6 games. With Kasper on the top line, I could see him going on a tear down the stretch. I tear so hot that I think it will get him 18 points in 28 games. It would be a big improvement from what he has done to this point in the season, but with a final stretch of top six minutes, I could see Kasper getting hot.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka won’t finish the season in the top 4: He was supposed to sit against Minnesota. Instead, Simon Edvinsson went down with an injury. Sandin-Pellikka has disappointed me. I expected him to be one of the most dangerous young defensemen in the NHL, and instead, the only one in danger is Detroit when he is in the defensive zone. It’s clear that Detroit has Chiarot in their plans. I believe one of Johansson or an outsider will end the season as the team’s second right-shot defenseman.

Heating Up:

James Van Riemsdyk records 25 goals on the season: This one isn’t as outlandish as I’m making it seem, but just saying it feels crazy. It would be a total JVR hasn’t hit since 2018-19, where he recorded 27. If JVR stays healthy through the rest of the season, I believe that he will record the 11 goals he needs to hit the mark. I think his line with Emmitt Finnie and J.T. Compher has mutually benefitted all three forwards involved, so maybe the added chemistry pushes him closer to the quarter-century mark.

Moritz Seider will not break his 50-point career high: See, I’m not a homer. As much as I think Seider has been amazing this season, most of his production came during a great December for him. Through January, Seider has only 5 points in 13 games. If December was truly just an offensive hot streak (which I unfortunately believe it was), then I don’t see Moritz Seider breaking the 50-point mark. Although he may reach it a second time.

Lucas Raymond leads Sweden to the gold medal match: Notice I said lead. I believe Lucas Raymond will be the leading point scorer on the Swedish national team. One further, because of this, I believe that Sweden will upset one of the U.S.A. or Canada to get into the gold medal match. Sweden brought some bite on the backend, and if the Americans have their choke-prone players like Matthews, Hughes, and Hellebuyck, Lucas Raymond could lead the Swedes and come in clutch.

Simon Edvinsson takes less than $8.5M: I will say, before the season, I don’t think he would’ve, but I think Edvinsson has taken a sneaky lateral step in his negotiating power. First of all, a lot of great young defensemen got $9M. Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe got $9M. LaCombe recorded over 40 points and was his team’s number one. Luke Hughes also has multiple seasons over 40 points, while also having one of the most important last names in the NHL. Lane Hutson looked less than nine and recorded over 60 points while winning the rookie of the year. Edvinsson had a great year last season with 30 points and great defense as a rookie, but this season he’s on pace for closer to 25 while showing he’s a bit of an injury risk. I think his peers getting the contracts they did will be enough for Steve Yzerman to bring the number down below Moritz Seider’s number. Someone will break Larkin’s internal cap, but it’s more likely to be the re-signing of DeBrincat, not Simon Edvinsson.

Steaming Hot Takes:

A Red Wing will finish top five on an award ballot: There are two players leading this way of thinking for me. Moritz Seider as a top-five Norris candidate and John Gibson as a top-five Vézina candidate. Now, I do think Makar and Werenski are having better seasons than Seider, so that’s already two. I believe Heiskanen and Hutson are up for debate. Largely, though, I do believe Seider is above the rest of the pack. As far as Gibson, I think if he can keep up his play since December, he will easily finish top five as he would have been the best goalie in the NHL for multiple months of the season. As crazy as it may have seemed at the start of the season, I don’t think it’s too far-fetched.

Detroit makes the conference final: Thoughts? I know it seems crazy but hear me out. In a first-round series, Detroit has guys with playoff experience, such as Kane, Chiarot, and Van Riemsdyk, to help lead them past the inexperienced Sabres. They also have the physical defenseman compared to the smaller defenseman who can get exposed against the Montreal Canadiens. I believe the first round series against either of them is in their favour. After that, it comes down to the incredible Lightning team. Here’s the question; does Tampa Bay continue to face injury problems? My bet? Yes. As crazy as it seems to bet on, I haven’t seen anything suggesting that Tampa Bay is going to keep crucial parts of their lineup intact. It would be a little bit sketchy, but I think it could happen nonetheless.

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