After finishing the regular season on the right note with four straight victories needed to secure a 22nd consecutive playoff berth, the Detroit Red Wings proved to still be one of the top teams in the NHL after knocking off the Anaheim Ducks and pushing the Chicago Blackhawks to the brink.
With Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss coming to Hockeytown this summer, Detroit is back near the top of the league and has a shot at winning another Stanley Cup.
It will not come easy though as, like many teams, the Wings have several important questions and challenges to face. Here are the top five challenges Detroit will face in the 2013-14 season.
Adjusting to the Atlantic Division
The Wings finally got the move to the Eastern Conference that they have waited for for ages, but it does not come at an easy price. Detroit has been placed in one of the toughest of the four new divisions, competing against teams like the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, and improved Toronto Maple Leafs.
As far as travel goes, the schedule will be easier; however, the opponents will not. The Red Wings will also have to face other Eastern Conference opponents like the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders three times each.
Getting Consistent Goaltending
Jimmy Howard seems to be improving every season, and if the trend continues in 2013, the Red Wings will be among the NHL’s elite teams.
Nevertheless, Howard has struggled at times, especially late in games. He gave up a few key goals in the final minutes last season that cost the Red Wings some games, and he needs to get better in late breakaways and shootouts.
Staying Out of the Penalty Box
The Wings are not among the league’s most penalized teams, but they have, at times, taken some costly and senseless penalties.
Things like throwing the puck over the glass from the defensive zone and taking penalties while on the powerplay have cost the Red Wings a numerous amount of games over the years, and they cannot afford to keep making stupid decisions.
Keeping Up the Solid Defense
Many experts predicted the Red Wing defense to falter in 2013 after the departures of Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart, but it did exactly the opposite.
Detroit was among the league’s best at preventing goals, and the defense, while young, was very effective.
Now that they have laid the groundwork for this upcoming season, the defense has much higher expectations for 2013-14. Can they be effective again?
Getting Production from Johan Franzen
When he’s on his game, Johan Franzen can be an extremely deadly scorer. The problem is, he sometimes plays lazy hockey and goes on extremely long scoring droughts.
When Franzen produces, the team wins. In 2008, Franzen went on a streak for the ages in the playoffs and the team ended up winning the Stanley Cup.
Coincidence?
Franzen needs to be more consistent. With fellow Swede and veteran Daniel Alfredsson by his side, Franzen could be inspired to play with more effort and therefore produce more consistently.