theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
The Detroit Red Wings have not missed the playoffs since 1990, but there's a very real possibility that Joe Louis arena will not host a game past the upcoming regular season, thanks in no small part to the premature departure of Pavel Datsyuk.
Here's a look at the projected depth chart for 2016-17.
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Henrik Zetterberg | Dylan Larkin | Gustav Nyquist |
| Justin Abdelkader | Frans Nielsen | Thomas Vanek |
| Tomas Tatar | Darren Helm | Andreas Athanasiou |
| Drew Miller | RileySheahan | Luke Glendening |
- Veteran center Steve Ott will be battling for playing time, while Teemu Pulkkinen and Tomas Jurco will also be attempting to assert their presence in the lineup.
- Dylan Larkin is the new face of the franchise, but it's probably too soon to expect him to serve as the top-line center.
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Danny DeKeyser | Mike Green |
| Niklas Kronwall | Jonathan Ericsson |
| Brendan Smith | Alexei Marchenko |
- The state of the blue line could be the biggest reason why Detroit's playoff streak comes to an end.
Goalies
| G |
|---|
| Jimmy Howard |
| Petr Mrazek |
- Jimmy Howard is at the top simply because of his salary, but Petr Mrazek is the better option and will take over the starting job for good sooner than later.
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