DETROIT — It’s been a busy offseason in Hockeytown.
After welcoming new head coach Derek Lalonde and his coaching staff, adding foundational pieces through the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and making a flurry of free-agency signings, all the changes that Detroit Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman executed over the past Five months will be on display when the team hits the ice for the first time for Training Camp next month.
Until then, as part of the “Red Wings Reset” series, DetroitRedWings.com will break down the club’s 2022-23 roster and new-look coaching staff, beginning with a focus on the defensemen.
Leading the defensive corps is a 21-year-old German Moritz Seiderwho won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie last season by leading all first-year skaters in assists (43), power-play points (21) and average time on ice (23:03). He was also one of only three rookies to play in all 82 games.
Video: Moritz Seider wins 2021-22 Calder Memorial Trophy
Seider, who was Detroit’s sixth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, established himself as a fixture on the Red Wings’ blue line in 2021-22, and will look to continue his trajectory in his second NHL season.
Detroit also relied heavily on Filip Hronek, whose 22:02 average ice time per game last season ranked second on the team behind Seider. In his fourth campaign with the Red Wings, Hronek recorded career highs in games played (78), assists (33) and points (38). The 24-year-old finished with five multi-assist games and six multi-point outings in 2021-22.
Video: DET@COL: Hronek scores PPG in 2nd period
Since making his NHL debut with the Red Wings on Oct. 4, 2018, Hronek has evolved into a reliable top-four defenseman. His production was rewarded when the Czech native signed a three-year extension last September.
Other returning blueliners included Jordan Oesterle, Gustav Lindström and Jake Wallman.
Oesterle enters his second season with the Red Wings after signing as a free agent last July. In his seventh NHL campaign, the 30-year-old played in 45 contests.
Video: ANA@DET: Oesterle scores in slot with snappy wrister
Oesterle, a Dearborn Heights, Mich., native, is anxious for the upcoming season.
“With the free-agent signings and the coaching changes, guys are really excited,” Oesterle said on July 18. “I’m really excited to see what we can do in Training Camp, preseason and during the regular season. For myself, I just wanna build on the games that I played last year and get a fresh face with the coaches and teammates, then see what we can do.”
After playing 29 games combined in his first two NHL seasons, Lindstrom made strides in 2021-22, playing 63 games while tallying one goal and 12 assists.
And as for Walman, whom the Red Wings acquired via trade with the St. Louis Blues on March 22, he had four assists in 19 games last season with Detroit. The 26-year-old Toronto native will not be ready at the start of the upcoming campaign as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
Detroit was active in free agency this offseasonbolstering its defensive core by signing Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Mark Pysyk and Robert Hagg.
Chiarot, who inked a four-year deal with the Red Wings, played for the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens last season, tallying a career-high 26 points (9-17-26) in 74 games.
The Hamilton, Ontario, native said he’s excited to join another historic Original Six franchise.
“(Detroit) has been one of my favorite places to come play on the road,” Chiarot said in his introductory media session on July 13. “I have a lot of family in Windsor, Ontario, so it’s an exciting place for me every time I came in. I was lucky enough to play in The Joe when that was still around, so that was an experience all on its own.”
Video: Ben Chiarot on being signed by the Detroit Red Wings
Maatta had one goal and seven assists in 66 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017), the 27-year-old wants to help bring a winning hockey culture back to Detroit.
“They (Red Wings) wanna be contenders,” said Maatta, who agreed to a one-year deal with Detroit. “I think that’s a big step there and I wanna be part of it.”
Video: Olli Maatta on being signed by the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit also signed Pysyk and Hagg to one-year contracts.
The 30-year-old Pysyk notched 12 points (3-9-12) in 68 games with the Buffalo Sabers last season but will be sidelined to begin the 2022-23 campaign after recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles. And last season, the 27-year-old Hagg had one goal and eight assists in 64 games for the Panthers and Sabres.
In May, the Red Wings agreed to terms with Ann Arbor, Mich., native Steven Kampfer on a one-year deal. The 33-year-old spent the 2021-22 season with Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League, notching 11 goals and 19 assists in 46 games.
Follow along as DetroitRedWings.com breaks down the Red Wings’ 2022-23 roster, position by position, and new-look coaching staff:
Defensemen breakdown
Centermen breakdown
Left and right wing breakdown
Goalie breakdown
Coaching staff breakdown
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