With the season starting today, I thought I would share my player statistic projections for the whole season. I will be leaving off Darren Helm and Patrick Eaves because they have both been placed on the long term injured reserve (LTIR) and Gustav Nyquist because he has been reassigned to Grand Rapids to start the season. Although I am hopeful he will be up on the Red Wings soon, there is no telling how long he will be down there.
Forwards: Overall, with a few key additions though prospect development and free agency, the Red Wings' offense should be able to overcome the departures and be stronger this season then last.
Justin Abdelkader: 18 Goals 24 Assists 42 Points
-If he is playing on the first line, he will get his share of goals playing somewhat of a Tomas Holmstrom role.
Daniel Alfredsson: 21 Goals 35 Assists 56 Points
-Playing on the second line with a playmaker like Stephen Weiss, he will get his share of scoring chances, and a veteran with a shot like Alfredsson will not miss. At the same time, he will be playing with Johan Franzen who can score, and Weiss is no slouch himself when it come to scoring. Alfredssson is still a talent, and he will be surrounded by talent. It should make for a productive season despite his age.
Joakim Andersson: 8 Goals 19 Assists 27 Points
-Depending on his line-mates, the big center has a chance to produce. Gustav Nyquist was sent to Grand Rapids to start the season, but Tatar is with the Red Wings. If Nyquist is called up, a line of Tatar, Andersson, and Nyquist has a chance to regain the chemistry they had as the top line of the Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins. Although Andersson is not a goal scorer, if he is surrounded by goal scorers, he will unavoidably get assists.
Todd Bertuzzi: 4 Goals 7 Assists 11 Points
-There is no telling how much he will play, or if he will be healthy. If he does play, he will score some goals, but I'm anticipating a short season for him.
Daniel Cleary: 11 Goals 12 Assists 23 Points
-Although he showed he could still score last season, he will need to adjust to playing on the 4th line with fewer minutes this season. He will still get his share of goals, but I expect it to be lower than what we have seen in the past.
Pavel Datsyuk: 26 Goals 45 Assists 71 Points
-Datsyuk is only getting older, but he never seems to show it. I expect him to be at a point per game pace, but I also expect him to miss a few games due to injury throughout the year as he has in the past.
Cory Emmerton: 3 Goals 5 Assists 8 Points
-It all depends on how many games he gets to play. He is starting on the roster, but that is not guaranteed to continue. If he does play his way into a regular roster spot for the season, I could see up to 7 goals and 10 assists, but I do not see that happening.
Johan Franzen: 31 Goals 30 Assists 61 Points
-Playing alongside fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson could be huge for Franzen. As a result of that and playing with a playmaker like Weiss, expect Franzen to break the 30 goal plateau for the first time since 2008-09.
Drew Miller: 9 Goals 8 Assists 17 Points
-He is not paid to produce points, so there is no reason to expect him to do so. He will finish close to his average as a grinding player.
Mikael Samuelsson: 13 Goals 20 Assists 33 Points
-He has the ability to produce points, but injuries will play a factor this year. I see this projection as a best case scenario for Samuelsson, because he could find himself with smaller totals if injuries bite him bad.
Tomas Tatar: 19 Goals 17 Assists 36 Points
-This total could go up if Nyquist is recalled quickly and gets placed on his line. For now, Tatar is a bottom 6 forward on a line that will not provide him the best scoring chances. However, he is too skilled not to get his share of goals. In the future I see Tatar as a potential 30 goal player, but in his first season I believe 19 is a fair and healthy prediction.
Jordin Tootoo: 2 Goals 3 Assists 5 Points
-Typically Tootoo would at least have a few more points than this, but there are not enough spots on the roster, and I do not see him playing in many games this season.
Stephen Weiss: 24 Goals 37 Assists 61 Points
-A playmaker playing on a line with two snipers should give Weiss his fair share of assists. At the same time, he will get his chances to score when teams decide to take away the pass, and Weiss is capable of finishing.
Henrik Zetterberg: 21 Goals 48 Assists 69 Points
-Zetterberg will have fun playing with Datsyuk this year, but if they are split up at any point, he will be surrounded by more talent than he has had in years. Not to mention the additions the team made should boost the powerplay. I do expect him to miss some time with injury, but the captain will still produce points.
Defenseman: This group is young, but they almost all have size, skill, and potential. They played well last year, and I only expect them to improve this year.
Danny DeKeyser: 5 Goals 15 Assists 20 Points
-DeKeyser is more of a defensive defenseman, but he has shown some offensive upside in his limited time with the Red Wings. Expect the rookie to be a shutdown guy who will be able to chip in offensively from time to time.
Jonathan Ericsson: 2 Goals 11 Assists 13 Points
-Similar to DeKeyser, Ericsson is a shutdown defenseman. He has never been much of an offensive contributor. Expect him to finish at his averages.
Jakub Kindl: 7 Goals 24 Assists 31 Points
-Kindl was impressive last year. He showed what a nice shot he has, and proved that he has offensive upside. I expect him to make another jump this year, and start producing some more points along with his improved overall play.
Niklas Kronwall: 11 Goals 35 Assists 46 Points
-Kronwall has emerged as a solid offensive defenseman in this league over the past few years. With a full year as the top defenseman on the team, I expect a big year from Kronwall who has potential to put up a lot of points from the blue line.
Brian Lashoff: 0 Goals 3 Assists 3 Points
-As the extra defenseman on the roster, he will not get a lot of playing time. When he does play, he is a defensive defenseman who does not contribute offensively frequently.
Kyle Quincey: 8 Goals 20 Assists 28 Points
-People forget about Quincey's offensive abilities. He is capable of scoring and producing points. He will have a solid season as far as point production goes.
Brendan Smith: 3 Goals 15 Assists 18 Points
-I still believe Smith has offensive potential that he has not shown yet. He has a very good shot, but he just needs to make better decisions on the ice. I would not be surprised to see Smith with a few 10 goal seasons before his career is over, but I think he takes a only small step towards that potential this year.
Goalies: No unknowns here besides injuries. Howard should be steady as always.
Jonas Gustavsson: 7 Wins .895 Sv% 2.85 GAA
-He will get a few starts, and he will therefore get a few wins. Howard cannot play 82 games, and Gustavsson is first in line as the back-up.
Jimmy Howard: 39 Wins .915 Sv% 2.21 GAA
-After establishing himself as one of the top goalies in the league, Howard appears ready to carry the Red Wings into the playoffs and hopefully to a Stanley Cup Championship. However, he will be playing a lot of games. After a shortened season last year and a reduction in goalie pad sizes league wide, his save percentage and goals against average take small hits as he adjusts to playing a full season and the smaller pads, but it will be nothing significant.
What are some of your predictions for the season? Do you agree with my predictions?
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