Next up in the Fantasy Breakout Candidates series is the Detroit Red Wings. Since they are an up-and-coming team with a whole mix of new players, it will be an interesting season. New line combinations and defensive pairing will surely spice things up and could create a lot of success. This is a team striving to turn things around and get themselves back into the playoffs.
With a young group, there is a more likely chance that players break out. But even some experienced players can still have career years and elevate themselves in the right situation. A lot will be tested this season in Detroit, and these are a few of the top candidates to have breakout seasons in fantasy.
Detroit Red Wings Fantasy Hockey Breakouts for 2023-24
Lucas Raymond
Lucas Raymond came in hot into the NHL in 2021-22 and finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting. Even though the team wasn’t very good, he was a top line winger immediately and logged over 18 minutes per game. Not only did he play a key role for the Red Wings in his rookie season scoring 57 points, he was fairly physical. This made him an obvious choice to roster if you were the quickest to the draw in picking him up off of the waiver wire.
Last season he went through a sophomore slump and only recorded 45 points, albeit in eight fewer games. His ice time dropped a bit, but he was actually more efficient on the power play. The team acquired more talent to execute more goals on the man advantage and there is a good chance Raymond once again sees regular time on the top line. This time it will be next to Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat. I’m expecting a point total of 60-65 this season with more offensive zone starts.
Michael Rasmussen
In Michael Rasmussen’s fourth NHL season, he took a nice step forward. Unfortunately, he was limited to just 56 games. While playing 24 fewer games than the season prior, he set a career-high in points with 29. That’s an increase of 0.34 points per game to 0.52 points per game. He has now proven that he can score goals with an above-average shooting percentage and play very physically.
The expectation is that he starts out on the third line, at center or the wing, and then throughout the season gets top-six opportunities. With an injury-prone Robby Fabbri slotted in ahead of him right now, Rasmussen would likely be the first promoted to the top six and get even better linemates to play with. At the rate he is progressing, he could really up his numbers overall if he has a season of health. He is definitely one to watch and go after in your fantasy hockey drafts if he earns a top-six role on the Red Wings.
Ville Husso
You can say that Ville Husso broke out with the St. Louis Blues in his second season with the team, but he only split time in that net and he couldn’t replicate the success when he was tasked with starting for the Red Wings. Last season proved that Husso has a ways to go and that one season won’t solidify him as a number one. He was indeed the starter in Detroit and will be again. His numbers didn’t hold up though as he finished with a 3.11 goals against average and .896 save percentage.
Steve Yzerman put work into the defense, adding Jeff Petry, Justin Holl, and Shayne Gostisbehere to complement three already capable defenders in Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, and Ben Chiarot. This group is strong and underrated. They will definitely play harder in their own end and prevent a lot more goals. This helps Husso and allows him to raise his numbers significantly and we will see him break out as a starter.
Related: 2023 Fantasy Hockey Breakouts: Boston Bruins
As a team like the Red Wings gets better, expect players to have breakout seasons to help them have more success. Detroit is going to have much more relevance in fantasy hockey in 2023, so keep an eye on them.
If you liked this article make sure to check out all of our 2023-24 Fantasy Hockey Sleepers and Breakouts!