Suter was a great pickup from the Chicago Blackhawks, but he’s not a proven entity. If the Red Wings hope to pull themselves out of the basement, Vrana, Larkin, Bertuzzi, and Zadina all have to have bounceback seasons where at least one or two hit 20 or more goals. Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Their leading goal scorers were Anthony Mantha and Adam Erne who both had 11 goals. That’s not nearly enough to compete in the NHL. Last season their leading scorer was defenceman Filip Hronek and he only had 26 points. Vladislav Namestnikov – Michael Rasmussen – Sam GagnerĪNALYSIS: Even though the Red Wings have added Jakub Vrana and Pius Suter to their top-six group, they are still a team behind the eight-ball when it comes to offensive firepower. Jakub Vrana – Dylan Larkin – Tyler Bertuzzi The Ducks still have Getzlaf, Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, and Rickard Rakell, but considering they only put up 34 goals between the four of them, it’s difficult to see them as a threat. He is only 22 years old and could become a 20-goal scorer alongside the playmaking marvel that is Zegras. Riding shotgun with him on the top line will likely be Comtois who finished last season as the Ducks’ leading scorer with 16 goals and 33 points. Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks (Photo by Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images) Jeff Skinner has underachieved since signing his massive contract, and Victor Olofsson can’t do it all. While talented, they are not established top-six forwards in the NHL and will be in tough against the monsters of the Atlantic Division. Their top two centers are now 22-year-old Casey Mittelstadt and 20-year-old Dylan Cozens. Without the services of their top scorer and all-around best player, they will be in trouble to start the season. He has also been the subject of trade rumors and speculation all offseason too. Zemgus Girgensons – John Hayden – Kyle OkposoĪNALYSIS: As you probably know already, Jack Eichel will be out of the Sabres’ lineup for the foreseeable future because of a neck injury that will require surgery to repair. Rasmus Asplund – Dylan Cozens – Tage ThompsonĪnders Bjork – Cody Eakin – Vinnie Hinostroza Victor Olofsson – Casey Mittelstadt – Jeff Skinner Basically, if their top line is shut down, they are pretty much toothless when it comes to offence. Dzingel seems to be only good in Ottawa, Jaskin hasn’t been in the NHL since the 2018-19 season and Loui Eriksson hasn’t been a goal scorer for what seems like forever.
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Their bottom-six isn’t much to look at either as they are full of unknowns and underachievers. Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes ( Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
That’s a pretty big drop-off when you consider their top line had a combined 44 goals. Their projected second line only had nine goals between them last season and Hayton is still technically a rookie.
Their top line is okay with Keller, Schmaltz, and Kessel, but beyond that, it’s slim pickings. Unfortunately for them, they probably won’t even have the defence or goaltending to win games 1-0 or 2-1. Having traded their number-one defenceman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, their second-best goalscorer in Conor Garland, and now one of their top centers in Christian Dvorak, they will most definitely be searching for offence this season. Ryan Dzingel – Johan Larsson – Dmitrij JaskinĪntoine Roussel – Jay Beagle – Loui ErikssonĪNALYSIS: To say it’s going to be a long season in the desert would be a massive understatement. Lawson Crouse – Barrett Hayton – Christian Fischer 32) Arizona CoyotesĬlayton Keller – Nick Schmaltz – Phil Kessel
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In the third of a four-part series ranking the NHL teams by position, here is how the forwards ranked heading into the 2021-22 season - counting down from No. However, to have success in the long run - to make the playoffs and have a chance at the Stanley Cup - teams typically need to roll four lines, so depth is definitely a factor in the big picture. Yes, teams have four lines, but they can lean on their top line or their top few forwards to prevail on any given night. The lineup compared to just six defencemen and only two goaltenders.ĭepth is important but star power wins the day when it comes to forwards. It’s also as difficult to rank as any since there are 12 forwards in If you can’t score, you can’t win, so this position is as importantĪs any. Last but not least, the forwards - the guys who get most the