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For a team that was in the top 10 in the NHL last season in both goals scored and power-play percentage, the Detroit Red Wings certainly don’t appear to be the stuff of dreams when it comes to fantasy hockey.
Though Detroit would score 275 goals last season – 3.35 goals per game – and were hitting at a 23.1% success rate on the power play, you don’t find a Red Wings forward in the top 35 or a defenseman in the top 20 in the fantasy hockey rankings compiled by The Fantasy Hockey Report.
Both of those numbers would slot the Red Wings into ninth spot in the NHL.
Dylan Larkin has the need for speed.
NHL EDGE Speed powered by @Verizon pic.twitter.com/WraXiB1lyb
— NHL (@NHL) February 15, 2023
Then again, when digging deeper into the data, it just might be that Detroit players are being overrated in these charts. Last season, Lucas Raymond led all Red Wings scorers with 72 points. That was 46th-best in the NHL. Captain Dylan Larkin was 33rd in the league with 31 goals.
Moritz Seider ties it up with a BLAST.
(
: @DetroitRedWings)pic.twitter.com/Sio5bRIoAs
— theScore (@theScore) April 16, 2024
Along the blueline, Moritz Seider is Detroit’s top-producing defender. His 42 points last season were only good enough for 32nd overall in scoring by a defenseman.
The Fantasy Hockey Report bases their ratings solely on points. Their rankings are for the next 1-2 seasons, and consider each player’s track record, upside, age, team, injury history and fantasy trade value.
Larkin Highest-Rated Red Wings Forward
Among forwards, Larkin slots in as the top available Red Wings players. He’s giving a ranking of 35th overall. You’ll drop all the way to 49th for the next Detroit player, Alex DeBrincat. Following them, Patrick Kane (66), Raymond (68) and Vladimir Tarasenko (98) also crack the top 100.
Simply basing it on the way he would finish the 2023-24 season with 14 goals over his final 17 games, Raymond would seem a bit low on the list. Kane, Tarasenko and DeBrincat are all past 40-goal snipers. Granted, it’s been awhile since each was reaching that lofty plateau. DeBrincat most recently did in 2021-22. For Kane was 2018-19 and Tarasenko was a 40-goal man in 2015-16.
Gostisbehere Departure Hurts Detroit Defense
Shayne Gostisbehere, was was 13th among NHL defenseman in scoring last season with 56 points, would depart Detroit as a UFA. That leaves Seider likely back in position as the main point man on Detroit’s No. 1 power-play unit.
He’s had 42 points in each of the last two seasons, after a career-high 50-point output in his Calder Trophy-winning season of 2021-22.
Red Wings Goalies Post An O-fer
Detroit goalies would post four shutouts among four netminders during the 2023-24 campaign. They have four NHL-caliber goalies under contract for the upcoming season, and are also posting an o-fer. None of Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon, Ville Husso, or Jack Campbell were able to crack the Fantasy Hockey Report rankings of the to-50 NHL goalies.
It’s certainly serves to emphasize the uncertainty facing the club in terms of their netminders. Meanwhile, both goalies for the Washington Capitals – Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson – are part of the top 30. It was Washington that nipped Detroit by one point last season for the final Eastern Conference playoff position.
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TODAY'S BEST
Ivan Demidov impresses Nathan MacKinnon
In Montreal, there’s no questioning Ivan Demidov’s talent. All you have to do is watch him play, and you know the Russian is brimming with talent. It’s not unusual for an opponent of the Montreal Canadiens to be impressed by Demidov. But when it comes from the NHL’s top scorer, the words are worth even more. As TVA Sports reported in this article, Nathan MacKinnon has nothing but positive things to say about the young Russian sensation. “I saw his goal on Wednesday night. What a shot! He’s having quite a season and I think he’ll become a really special player.” – Nathan MacKinnon It must warm Demidov’s heart to hear comments like these, especially when they come from the NHL’s top scorer. MacKinnon’s comment on the Russian’s shot leads me to discuss something else: Demidov needs to shoot more. As Anthony Martineau said earlier today, Demidov needs to be more selfish and take a cue from Lane Hutson, who’s shooting the net a lot more these days. He’s a little too willing to look for the perfect play when that perfect play is often just a shot away. He’s got quite a shot and we’ve seen it. He can easily outwit opposing goalies with it. Demidov’s early career has been quite impressive. It’s even more impressive when you compare his first 25 NHL games to the first 25 games of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The Canadiens Muse page, which publishes some interesting statistics, has made it clear that Demidov is currently off to a better start than Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. It’s not a huge difference, but he’s still ahead of two excellent NHL forwards. Plus, we know that Demidov’s playing time is limited by his head coach. This isn’t necessarily because he doesn’t deserve it (far from it), but rather a question of taking it easy in his first full season in the big league. The Canadiens Muse page has posted the playing time per game during the first 25 games of the careers of the three players in question, and there’s still a three-minute difference. Demidov is definitely on his way to an excellent NHL career. Let’s see what the future holds for him. Overtime – Unbelievable. – Love it. – It doesn’t really make sense. – That’s a great nickname.
Cardinals' Richard Fitts Reveals Reaction To Getting Traded By Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox made their first major trade of the offseason earlier this week, and Richard Fitts was on the business end of the deal. Fitts started this season in the Red Sox rotation, but injuries and struggles both took a toll. He wound up with a 5.00 ERA in 45 innings, and briefly flirted with a move to the bullpen late in the year before elbow neuritis ended his year early. Now that he's been dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of the package for three-time All-Star Sonny Gray, Fitts is looking forward to competing for a spot in a less experienced rotation. If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google. Fitts talks trade, Cardinals opportunity Fitts recently shared his mindset on the trade, admitting that he likely had a better chance to stick in the St. Louis rotation than he would have if he'd remained in Boston. “With this opportunity (with the Cardinals), if I am able to stay healthy, I think it’s just going to be a great fit and a way for me to stay in a rotation,” Fitts said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “I feel like I really grew as a pitcher with the Red Sox. "When I came over from the (New York) Yankees to the Red Sox, it was like, ‘Oh, this would be cool if I get to be a big leaguer over here.’ And now, moving to this opportunity, it’s like, ‘I am a big leaguer. How can I fit into (the Cardinals) rotation?’” Though he would have been buried on the depth chart a bit, the Red Sox definitely weren't happy to see Fitts go. He showed No. 4 starter promise during his September call-up a year ago, including a scoreless start against the Yankees, and he was a spring training darling this year, adding significant velocity and showcasing three breaking balls. While Gray gives the Red Sox a significantly higher floor than they had to start the week, the Red Sox know they incurred some long-term risks by moving on from Fitts and Brandon Clarke. But the beauty of building pitching depth over the past couple of years is that it allows them to take some risks.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Details emerge on Francisco Lindor's alleged incident with Mets teammate
Mr. Smile apparently wasn’t smiling too much about one of his teammates last season. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had a "heated confrontation" with teammate Jeff McNeil last June, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on Friday. Puma writes that Lindor began verbally attacking McNeil on June 20 over a defensive lapse that McNeil had during that day’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The confrontation, which was only verbal and never got physical, came in the midst of a seven-game losing streak by the Mets at the time. Puma also reports that the flashy Lindor clashed personalities during the year with the business-like Juan Soto during the season as well. Interestingly enough, the five-time All-Star Lindor also had a confrontation with McNeil in the dugout during a game in the 2021 MLB season. That confrontation did turn physical, and Lindor later offered an extremely unconvincing excuse for the incident. Meanwhile, the incident last June underscored the Mets’ struggles to get on the same page with one another during the 2025 campaign. Despite having a mammoth $342 million payroll, the Mets completely collapsed in the final weeks of the season and missed the playoffs altogether. Now there are rumors that the Mets could make some big changes this offseason, including a potential trade of McNeil. After another apparent confrontation between the veteran utilityman and the four-time Silver Slugger Award winner Lindor, it is clear that something is not quite working right now in that clubhouse.
Dallas Cowboys' chances of beating Lions just increased with an update the NFL world will hate to hear
The 6-5-1 Dallas Cowboys are looking to extend their win streak to four in a row next Thursday when they take on the 7-5 Detroit Lions on primetime television. Though the Lions are known as one of the best teams in the conference, they are struggling to be consistent on offense, and the defense has serious problems, too. There are a lot of factors that go into Detroit's biggest issues on offense, which was known as one of the scariest units in the league not that long ago. But it all starts with the trenches, where they simply haven't been the same. The Lions' offensive line's struggles reached the point where they had to draw former second-team All-Pro center Frank Ragnow out of retirement. However, Ragnow's return is over before it even got a chance to get going. Lions announce Ragnow failed his physical ahead of Cowboys matchup On Saturday, the Lions announced Ragnow's activation to the 53-man roster isn't happening after he failed his physical. "The medical exam revealed a Grade 3 hamstring strain that will keep him from participating for the remainder of the regular season," the team's statement reads. "For that reason, Frank will not be rejoining the Lions." It was already unlikely Ragnow would play in Week 14 due to his inactivity this year. However, the Lions are reaching must-win territory, so it wasn't out of the question. This update confirms it. It's a disappointing update even though it helps the Cowboys' chances of winning. You never want to see a star's return get ruined before it even starts. But it is what it is in football. With that being said, there's no denying it's an objectively positive development for a Dallas team starving for any break it can get as it tries to make the playoffs. Cowboys' rising DL will face struggling Lions OL Over the last few years, the motor driving the Lions' success was its offensive line. Now that it's struggling, Jared Goff's play is showing flaws, and the run game has been inconsistent. On the other side, the Cowboys' defense is quickly improving. Since Quinnen Williams' arrival via trade, Matt Eberflus' unit has shown an ability to pressure the quarterback and stop the run. While it hasn't been perfect, it's that interior defensive line that's sparked quality play. The Cowboys are 3.5-point underdogs against the Lions heading into Week 14 but this advantage in the trenches could position them to pull off a third consecutive upset. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*'); This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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