By George B. Eichorn
Hockeytown is ready and raring to go live. The Detroit Red Wings open their 99th National Hockey League season October 10 when they entertain the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena.
Coach Derek Lalonde nearly got his Wings into last spring’s Stanley Cup playoffs. The Washington Capitals eked out the final Eastern Conference post-season slot. The close call left Wings fans wanting for more. Detroit’s 41-32-9 record and 91 points was a 11-point improvement from 2023.
General Manager Steve Yzerman – as all team GMs must do – tweaked the roster in the off-season to make the league’s salary cap. Gone from last year’s exciting team are Zach Aston-Reese, Chase Bradley, Robbi Fabbri, Shayne Gostisbeher, David Perron, James Reimer and Jake Walman.
While losing good caliber players can be unsettling there is hope as Yzerman and his front office staff signed several free agents and secured long-term deals with stars Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.
Patrick Kane was happy enough to remain a Red Wing and inked a two-year deal. Goaltenders Jack Campbell (Edmonton), Cam Talbot (LA Kings) and Gage Alexander (Anaheim), defenseman William Lagesson (Anaheim) and Erik Gustaffson (NY Rangers) and forwards/centers Sheldon Dries (Vancouver), Joe Snively (Washington), Tyler Motte (Tampa Bay) and Vladimir Tarasenko (Florida).
Tarasenko was a great signing as he helped the Florida Panthers to their Stanley Cup win in June over Edmonton in seven games. Larkin led Detroit with 33 goals while Raymond was first in points with 72. Alex Lyon led the Wings with 21 wins.
The Wings core remains: forwards/centers Kane, Raymond, captain Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, Christian Fischer, Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen, J.T. Compher, Alex DeBrincat and Jonatan Berggren, defensemen Seider, Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson and Olli Maatta plus goaltenders Ville Husso and Alex Lyon.
Lalonde and Yzerman are under the gun by many fans and media to produce a playoff team. Owner Chris Ilitch is witnessing the playoffs love affair fans have for his Detroit Tigers as they beat the Houston Astros and are on the verge of defeating the Cleveland Indians; so why expect less from his 2024-25 Red Wings? As they say, the pressure is on to end the Wings’ post-season drought,
Detroit’s 82-game slate features 26 games against Atlantic Division rivals, 24 games against the remaining Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division and two games against all 16 Western Conference clubs.
Of the 41 games to be played at home, 22 are scheduled for weekends including five Fridays, 10 Saturdays and seven Sundays.
The Wings have a very busy late November and December home slate.The annual New Year’s Eve game features Pittsburgh at 8 p.m. Bally Sports Detroit has a full schedule of games with Ken Daniels, Mickey Redmond, Chris Osgood and Larry Murphy returning. John Keating, Trevor Thompson and Natalie Kerwin also contribute. At least 17 games are on ESPN’s family of stations while seven are televised by TNT. Ken Kal, Paul Woods and Daniella Bruce (home games) again call Wings action on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com or @Sandgsports99 on X (formerly Twitter). Order his book:
Detroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the Air: Eichorn, George B, Introduction Harwell, Ernie.
 Detroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the AirSports are as much a part of the fabric of Detroit, Michigan, as is the automobile. From its professional teams … |
