The Hockey News Yearbook is out and the notion the Red Wings are a favorite to win the Stanley Cup championship has waned.
The Hockey News picks the Red Wings to finish fifth in the Western Conference. They list the Red Wings' odds of winning the Stanley Cup championship at 10-1.
They are the picking the Washington Capitals to capture the Cup, defeating the Blackhawks in the finals. The Hockey News projects the Capitals (6-1), the Penguins (13-2), the Bruins (8-1), the Flyers (8-1), the Blackhawks (8-1), The Canucks (17-2) and the Sharks (17-2) ahead of the Red Wings.
They place the Kings (12-1) ahead of the Red Wings in the regular season, but evidently feel like Detroit will perform better in the postseason. So the Red Wings are either, at best, the eighth- or ninth-best team in the NHL.
I don't believe that. I think they still rank in the Top 5. I mean the Flyers? That could be a disaster after their bizarre off season moves. The Caps to win it all? Aren't they the all-timers when it comes to failing in the postseason?
And I do like the way Ken Holland didn't overreact to the free agent market and tweaked the Red Wings this off season. I also believe the Red Wings have several younger players who will grow into more prominent roles - Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Jokub Kindl - and Brennan Smith is going to be really good player.
The Red Wings still have, by far, the deepest and best roster in the NHL.