1998-99 record: 43-32-7, 93 points, 1st Central Division
Coach: Scotty Bowman (266-135-59, six seasons with Detroit)
New faces: D Yan Golubovsky, D Maxim Kuznetsov, D Jesse Wallin, D Jiri Fischer, D Steve Duchesne, G Manny Legace, G Ken Wregget
Losses: LW Wendel Clark, D Ulf Samuelsson, D Todd Gill, G Bill Ranford, D Jamie Macoun
Strengths: Talent remains on the former Stanley Cup champions. Start with captain Steve Yzerman, who had nine goals in 10 playoff games. LW Brendan Shanahan was inconsistent but finished with 31 goals. C Sergei Fedorov possesses a wealth of talent but must do better than 26 goals and 37 assists. The Red Wings were able to coax Norris Trophy finalist Nicklas Lidstrom into returning to the NHL. D Chris Chelios, 37, starts his first full season with the Red Wings. Because he won't be counted on as much as he was in Chicago, he should remain effective. D Larry Murphy may be 38, but he continues to defy time. Last season, he was seventh among defensemen with 52 points while posting a plus-21 rating. Much has been made of Dominik Hasek's final year in the NHL, but this is expected to be Bowman's final season behind the bench. That should become a factor as the playoffs loom.
Weaknesses: The Red Wings' 30-something defense needed an infusion of youth, but GM Ken Holland signed 34-year-old free agent Steve Duchesne. Holland's attempt to bolster the team at last year's trade deadline did not succeed, leaving Hockeytown without a draft pick for the first three rounds. That ultimately will catch up with Detroit. The Wings were 10th in the league in goals-against, their worst finish in years. Despite all of their offensive talent, they also were only 11th on the power play. Fedorov isn't the only Detroit player who needs to improve his consistency. LW Slava Kozlov had 20 goals in the final 37 games of the season but only nine before that.
Bowman says: "Our defense should be better. I'm looking at our defense now with Chelios here for the full season and being acclimatized to the team. And with the signing of Duchesne, with the emergence of (Aaron) Ward and (Mathieu) Dandenault, we're much stronger on defense because we still have Lidstrom and Murphy, too. And if Fischer comes up, that could be a big improvement for our team."