WN Roundtable: Who’s primed for a breakout year?
7 years ago
On today’s Roundtable, we discuss which Wings we see primed for a breakout season in 2016-17.
Scott Maxwell
I don’t think that any Red Wings will have a breakout season. That’s not to say that I think the Wings don’t have any players that COULD have a breakout season, I just think that none of them will.
I don’t think it’s because of skill either. The Wings have plenty of young skilled players in their system, like Larkin, Athanasiou, Mantha, Pulkkinen, Jurco, Ouellet, and Marchenko, all of whom could be a positive impact on the team. However, I don’t see any of them breaking out because I don’t see any of them getting the ice time and opportunity to have a break out season. While Blashill might change his ways from his rookie season, the Wings recent history to rely on veterans has me questioning the young guys ice time.
The only exception would be Dylan Larkin. I think he’ll get the ice time, but I think the combination of an increased role and more players focusing on him will lead to him not breaking out further this season.
I don’t think it’s because of skill either. The Wings have plenty of young skilled players in their system, like Larkin, Athanasiou, Mantha, Pulkkinen, Jurco, Ouellet, and Marchenko, all of whom could be a positive impact on the team. However, I don’t see any of them breaking out because I don’t see any of them getting the ice time and opportunity to have a break out season. While Blashill might change his ways from his rookie season, the Wings recent history to rely on veterans has me questioning the young guys ice time.
The only exception would be Dylan Larkin. I think he’ll get the ice time, but I think the combination of an increased role and more players focusing on him will lead to him not breaking out further this season.
Kyle Krische
I believe if any one Red Wing is going to have a breakout season, it’s going to be Alexey Marchenko. With the Wings signings at forward this offseason there isn’t really a ton of hope up front for a breakout season. Larkin and AA will both have the same problem this coming season as teams will be much more aware of them on the ice and they’ll start receiving more off-puck attention and have a more difficult time all around. Tatar and Nyquist have already come close to scoring 30 before so a true breakout for them would have to be numbers they likely can’t achieve in the Wings system.
Marchenko, on the other hand, I like for a variety of reasons. The first is simple competition. His steady style of play is going to standout on such a weak defensive core. Many were singing the praises of Brendan Smith last season while overlooking Marchenko, the partner he clocked the most minutes with, carrying a lot of the defensive load for him. He got some great experience at the World Championship at the start of this year where he clocked big minutes and controlled play while filling a top-pairing role for Russia. He was added to the Russian roster as well for there WCH in September after his impressive outing and continues to excel in his often understated role.
With all the chaos on that back end, we could see Marchenko clocking more workhorse minutes for the Wings this season and potentially sliding up the depth chart. While he’s not going to be putting up 40 points, I think most fans would prefer to just see less pucks hits the back of their net on a nightly basis. He’s got the head for the game and he’s gaining confidence and composure every few months. As one of two right-handed shots on defence, he should be a no-brainer for top 4 minutes this upcoming year.
Adam Laskaris
Brendan Smith is 27 years old and he’s really still someone we’re talking about as “waiting to step into a bigger role.”
Having his ice time actually decrease each of the past two seasons, Smith’s career CF% of 55.5 is, well, quite remarkable. I think we could start seeing more Brendan Smith for the same reason Kyle thinks Marchenko might have a breakout year. I think there will come a time where Jeff Blashill realizes he can’t quite trust Danny DeKeyser and Niklas Kronwall as much, and start putting Smith in more high-pressure situations.
I’m not expecting Smith to win the Norris or anything, but even recognition as a legitimate top-four defenceman could be a huge deal for Smith.
Recent articles from Adam Laskaris
