Buffalo Sabres division rivals’ 2023 offseasons Part VI: Yzerplan Take 5
The Buffalo Sabres and their Adams Plan swept the Detroit Red Wings and their Yzerplan in 2022-23. Did Steve Yzerman finally improve the team in 2023-24?
I’ve long since said that you can’t treat building an NHL team as though you’re playing franchise mode in a video game, but Steve Yzerman once again seems to be doing just that with the Detroit Red Wings. While Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has taken the preferred route in building through young players and prospects, Yzerman just keeps pulling off trades and hoping chemistry builds amidst what should be a talented lineup.
Last year, it didn’t work out so well, as the Sabres swept Detroit despite the two teams playing in a pair of memorable matchups in the Motor City. So, has Yzerman finally built a winner that can contend with the Sabres for a playoff spot in 2023-24, or will lack of chemistry with his seemingly endless array of blockbuster moves once again set the Wings back?
So who was the big blockbuster this season? None other than Alex DeBrincat, who Yzerman acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators. While we can call it a blockbuster, you get the sense that the Sens wouldn’t have traded DeBrincat to a rival if they were that worried about facing him three to four times per year.
Will the Yzerplan finally get the best of the Buffalo Sabres and the Adams Plan?
Yzerman also added J.T. Compher, meaning that, with the current roster in place, the Red Wings look like a good team on paper. Other notable additions include Alex Lyon, James Reimer, Shayne Gostisbehere, Justin Holl, Klim Kostin, Daniel Sprong, and Christian Fischer.
So as you can see, Yzerman was quite busy filling a few more gaps to try and push the Wings back into the playoffs. He only lost three notable players, one of whom was former Sabre Robert Hagg. He also lost Dominik Kubalik in the DeBrincat trade, and Filip Zadina also went elsewhere.
How will Yzerman’s latest batch of acquisitions and signees help the Red Wings? Keep reading for a brief breakdown of each, starting with DeBrincat.
Breaking down the Red Wings acquisitions
Alex DeBrincat was the obvious prize, but fortunately, the Buffalo Sabres are quite familiar with the winger following his brief stint with the Ottawa Senators. DeBrincat played in all 82 regular season games last season, and scored 66 points while he also compiled 109 hits and 44 takeaways.
Compher put up a career high 52 points last season with the Colorado Avalanche, and he also blocked a career high 82 shots. While DeBrincat was the prize, Compher was a sound consolation for Detroit.
The Wings also brought in a pair of goaltenders in Alex Lyon and James Reimer. Lyon is another name the Sabres are familiar with, having played against him last season. His 0.714 quality starts percentage jumps out, and Lyon could see some playing time as a backup following a decent regular season with the Florida Panthers.
Reimer wasn’t as effective last season with the San Jose Sharks, but they were a rebuilding team, so you can’t quite pin the blame on him. He allowed fewer than a 0.900 save percentage for the first time in his career. Reimer also amassed a 3.48 GAA, but again, he wasn’t playing for a great team.
Buffalo Sabres familiar with quite a few Red Wings
Justin Holl is yet another name Sabres fans are familiar with, as he spent six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Holl gave the Leafs 139 blocks and 151 hits playing second pairing minutes. Shayne Gostisbehere is a blueliner who saw time with the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes, while Christian Fischer is another former Coyote and quite the physical defensive forward who should fuel the lower lines.
Klim Kostin was part of the Edmonton Oilers last year and he saw 57 games of action, while Daniel Sprong is yet another lower liner who logged a respectable 46 points a season ago. Overall, Detroit brought in a plethora of players who could help them out in all phases of the game. But the question, as always, remains in the Motor City: Can this lot build chemistry with the current players and as a unit?
Verdict
So what can we make of the Detroit Red Wings this season? Closing out the previous section, I hit hard on the “team chemistry” thing, and whether this can be the year for the Wings.
While some steps back may be needed, Toronto, Florida, Boston, and Tampa should still be formidable teams once they hit midseason mode. And of course, the Buffalo Sabres already have chemistry, or else they wouldn’t have come so close to snagging a playoff spot last season.
This puts the Red Wings behind the eight-ball, because once again: The real-life NHL is not a video game. And while you can claim the Yzerplan may have worked once when he was with the Lightning, we can’t live in the past, as it hasn’t delivered anywhere close to the same results over in the Motor City.
Related Story. Buffalo Sabres division rivals’ 2023 offseasons Part V: Sens Rising?. light
Until Yzerman proves his plan is viable in Detroit, there is no way I can give this a positive verdict. At most, it’s one of those “wait and see” situations. Maybe it comes into fruition this season, or maybe there is just too much chemistry in the aforementioned cities (including Buffalo).
Source: Atlantic Division summer outlook: Are Sabres at the top of the ‘rebuilders’ group? by Mike Harrington, Buffalo News
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)