Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Addressing The Issues

09/20/2022 at 5:50pm EDT

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Yzerman is expected to address the media Wednesday in a pre-training camp address.

Here are 10 key issues facing the Wings as they begin camp and the exhibition season:

► Chemistry: A new head coach and new assistant coaches would be an adjustment in itself. But how quickly will the players adapt to the new schemes, new voices, just a new way of doing things? Then, add all the new arrivals and maybe some rookies surprisingly working into the lineup, and you have a big issue of blending all these players into a team. Lalonde, too, has never been a head coach in the NHL. There will be a lot of people getting familiar with one another.

► Team defense: One of the biggest tasks confronting Lalonde is improving a team defense that got progressively worse as the season wore on, and ranked 31st out of 32 teams. Players like Copp, Perron and Chiarot and Maatta, specifically, are noted for their defensive work and should improve the lineup that way. Betting goaltending will also keep more pucks out of the net. But expect the defensive end of the rink to be a main area to be worked upon.

► Joe Veleno: The 2018 first-round pick (30th overall) played 66 games last season but still didn't put his stamp on a regular spot in the lineup. With the influx of new faces among the forwards, and the fact Veleno can be sent down to Grand Rapids without waiver ramifications, Veleno has to have an impressive camp/exhibition season and earn a spot on the roster.

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