With a break in the action for the Detroit Red Wings, and already past the half way mark, it’s time to see how things look with the players I profiled as to whether they could hit the 20 goal mark.
Red Wings I had as Locks to Score 20 Goals:
I mean, anyone could have called these. Larkin was really the only wild-card in that no one was sure how injury would affect him. Though there had been discussion in some circles about his status as a top line center, he’s put that entire argument to rest. The only reason Bertuzzi had an inkling of question surrounding 20 goals was because of his injury, too.
Vrana, ironically enough, was the one who hasn’t gotten 20 because of injury. And Larkin through 44 games last year, only had nine goals. What a difference a year makes.
Red Wings with the Potential to Hit 20 Goals:
So here’s what I wrote for Fabbri as to why he’d get 20 goals:
He had 10 in just 30 games last season, and if you extend that out to an 82 goal season, he flirts with 30. In his first season with the Red Wings, he netted 14 on a historically terrible team. The potential is absolutely there. Simply put, Fabbri sees 20 goals in the season if he can play at least 65 games.
He’s got 20 games to make me look right. And yes, I think he can do it still. The big question I had about Suter was whether it was the Patrick Kane effect that buoyed his production. He’s answered that and more as he’s become kind of a Swiss army knife for Detroit–and should only get better. Though it’s not looking likely, Vrana coming back could definitely work as a catalyst in Suter’s favor. Speaking of Vrana….
Red Wings that Might Hit 20 Goals
It’s not looking good for either player. With Vrana coming back, could Zadina and potentially Erne see a spike in scoring? Volumes have been written about Zadina both here, in other blogs, and across social media, but Erne’s nice little breakout last year has stalled. Zadina is the more concerning of the two. With a tougher schedule and 35 games to go, it doesn’t really feel as if either will hit that mark–barring a 2013-14 Gustav Nyquist like tear (which I would absolutely love to see). As for Rasmussen, here’s what I wrote:
Of the other players mentioned, Rasmussen seems like the least likely to hit 20 this season–but if he sees a strong season in 2021-22, it could be a possibility later on.
Likely not this year—but he’s still young. But the bulk of his goals will come on the power play. I stand by that.
Red Wings I absolutely ignored to hit 20 Goals and Still Might
Okay, so fairly, no one knew if Raymond was going to make the roster out of camp. But Namestnikov surged this season, with a reasonable shot at hitting 20 this season. He hasn’t done so since 2017-18, but with how he’s been finding the net this season, it doesn’t seem out of the question.
The Red Wings scoring this season is up and with Vrana due to return, it’ll be fun to see how the rest of the scoring plays out.