Unexpected new ranking highlights the Red Wings may have unlocked their winning recipe
Photo credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images
An unexpected new ranking is highlighting that the Detroit Red Wings might have unlocked their winning recipe to bring the organization back into a playoff picture for the first time in nine seasons.
The Red Wings are off to a strong start to the season, their best in recent franchise history.
The step they made this year is starting to get noticed all across the NHL.
The renowned newspaper USA Today recognized the Wings' start and added the team to the top 10 of the whole league in its latest power rankings.
Red Wings Make It To The Top 10 In USA Today's NHL Power Rankings
After 13 games, Steve Yzerman, Todd McLellan, Dylan Larkin, and the Red Wings are second in the Atlantic Division, behind the Montreal Canadiens, with a 9-4-0 record.
According to USA Today, two reasons explain that surge in Detroit: the YzerPlan is finally reaching another step, and the team captain Dylan Larkin is having the best season of his career:
"The YzerPlan seems to be working this season. General manager Steve Yzerman has brought in many pieces over the seasons, but the key is that captain Dylan Larkin is on pace for his best season."
For the Yzerplan, it's obvious that the players he brought to Detroit in recent years, like Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Simon Edvinsson, with Emmitt Finnie and Axel Sandin-Pellikka making the jump this season, are starting to have an impact.
The young players are slowly getting older and are now able to lead the team.
Yzerman can also count on two reliable goaltenders after he acquired John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks during the offseason.
But Larkin's season so far is one of the biggest factors in the Wings' success.
After 13 games, the captain is leading the team with eight goals and 10 assists and is sixth in the entire NHL for points.
Things are finally looking up in Detroit. The team is starting to get to the level fans have been waiting to see for years, and it'll only get better in the future with several additional interesting prospects set to climb the organizational ladder soon.
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