A 9-7-0 start isn’t bad in a vacuum. But when you take a look around the league at who is above them, there’s something wrong. It isn’t the veteran teams anymore. Gone are the days of the Kings, Panthers, and Leafs dominating the Red Wings and the standings. No, now the Sharks, Ducks, Blackhawks, Habs, and Mammoth are the teams in the playoff race. It’s not hard to see why; they’re all young teams getting amazing performances from their young superstars. Unfortunately, Detroit doesn’t have that luxury. Detroit’s once “young stars” are now not exactly young or stars. I’m going to be breaking down the harsh truth about the Red Wings’ core; their young players simply aren’t as good as their peers.
Lucas Raymond Has Been Passed
Adam Fantilli (L), Connor Bedard (M), Leo Carlsson (R) at the 2023 NHL Draft. (Photo: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
I’ve spent months writing and defending in favour of Lucas Raymond. However, this year I expected the superstar jump. A 90-100 point player is what Detroit needed out of Raymond if they weren’t going to be able to get a superstar through free agency. I know Raymond was injured, but the numbers speak for themselves. Here is a list of all the players outscoring Raymond who were drafted after him.
Connor Bedard: 128 point pace, 20 years old
Macklin Celebrini: 123 point pace, 19 years old
Leo Carlsson: 126 point pace, 20 years old
Wyatt Johnston: 103 point pace, 22 years old
Cutter Gautheir: 104 point pace, 21 years old
Matthew Knies: 103 point pace, 23 years old
Will Smith: 82 point pace, 20 years old
Seth Jarvis: 82 point pace, 23 years old
Lucas Raymond: 76 point pace, 23 years old
I understand it’s early, and some of these guys are on an absolutely torrid pace that they won’t keep up. But even at age 20, a lot of these guys are already showing superstar flashes of being well above a point per game. Lucas Raymond has never been more than 6 points above a point-per-game. This isn’t meant to be an entire slight against Raymond. Knies, Johnston, and Jarvis all have fantastic line mates driving their play. But the elite guys like Bedard, Celebrini, and Carlsson are doing it on their own. It’s not crazy to say it’s more likely those guys will hit 100 points before Raymond hits 90. Even with Dylan Larkin playing incredibly to start the season, Raymond isn’t bringing out the best in him. I’m not saying Raymond will never take the final star step, but it’s time we start pausing a bit more before calling Raymond a superstar.
Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider | Photo Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
Moritz Seider Isn’t the Same Offensively
Here are some flowers first. Seider has been amazing defensively. There’s something to be said about how Seider is shutting down the play. However, in the modern NHL, there are plenty of players who can shut down the other team’s best players. This season, Seider is in a much-reduced role where he can play more offensively, and his production looks worse. So does his game sense. It’s not often that Seider ruins a possession on the power play by making the wrong play at the blueline or shooting into a body. Last season, Seider was on one of the best power plays in the NHL and couldn’t muster 50 points. This season, Seider feels like he isn’t even good enough to be quarterbacking the first unit. Sandin-Pellikka has shown much more game sense. I love my advanced stats, but unfortunately, there really isn’t any I have to show. His advanced stats look good. This year, Seider simply fails the eye test offensively. To truly be an elite number one, you need to do it on both sides. Seider simply hasn’t.
Edvinsson and Kasper for Detroit | AP Photo/Duane Burleson
Kasper and Edvinsson are Facing Sophomore Slumps
I’m not going to be too down on either of them because it’s a normal occurrence. But Kasper especially has been downright bad, getting demoted to the third line. His 3 goals and 0 assists through 16 games playing alongside DeBrincat and Kane simply aren’t good enough. Edvinsson has also been a turnover machine this season, although he is looking a little more comfortable with Seider. Generally, these two are a write-off; the sophomore slump is very real and very famous, so I’m not going to hold a grudge on these two.
What do you think of Detroit’s youth? Do you think they pale in comparison? Do you think they’re just off to slower starts offensively? Leave any thoughts in the comments below.
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