DETROIT — Derek Lalonde’s sons planned to stay home Sunday evening. But when the Detroit Red Wings“The head coach told his boys about this super prospect Connor Bedard was going to be in line for the visit Chicago Blackhawkswell, that changed things.
Everyone wants to see Bédard – and for good reason. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft could very well be the sport’s next generational talent.
But even if Bédard certainly had her climax talent worksusing his skilled hands to create what Lalonde calls “a wow moment” around Simon Edvinsson In the second period, Lalonde’s sons mainly saw their father’s team win 6-1. That’s probably not a bad consolation – especially because the game had a little bit of everything.
Although Bédard was the draw to bring them (and likely several others) to the rink on Sunday night, the Red Wings’ top picks from the last three drafts lined up opposite him. Edvinsson, Nathan Danielson And Marc Kasper all counted on big minutes in Detroit’s battle against an AHL-caliber team for Chicago, and the latter two both had assists. Then you had new free agent JT Compher and a top internal prospect, Michael Rasmussen, each scoring three points. There was even a straight battle in training camp, with James Reimer and Alex Lyon sharing the game in net while vying to be Detroit’s backup.
Given how thin the Blackhawks roster is beyond Bedard, it would be unwise to read too much into this. But now that the Red Wings are halfway through their preseason schedule, we have enough samples to attempt to answer four burning questions.
1. What about Danielson’s impressive play?
Danielson was good again on Sunday and had three good performances in pre-season. He scored a point in all three games, and on Sunday, he followed up with an assist – on which he completed a pass in the corner for Daniel Sprongwho collected it coolly, took it to the net and buried it – with a late strip from Bédard shorthanded, creating a top-class chance for Edvinsson.
The 19-year-old looks impressive, showing composure and intelligence to go along with smooth skating. But as far as what that means for him this upcoming season (and at the risk of becoming a buzzkill), all roads still seem to lead to Brandon, Manitoba, in the Western Hockey League.
Due to the CHL-NHL agreement, Danielson is not yet eligible for the American Hockey League at age 19, although he seems ready with his game. This means that it is NHL or junior hockey for him, and as good as he’s been, it’s still hard to see the Red Wings not ultimately deciding to send him back to Brandon.
This would go against their standard operating procedure with prospects, and even aside from that, it’s not like Danielson doesn’t already have things to work on. The balance that has shown itself in a positive way during many changes during this preseason has also gotten him into trouble on several occasions, leading to turnovers and/or penalties. He’s still a raw young player.
There’s more time in the preseason, and maintaining that strong play in a road game, against a higher level NHL opponent, would be another statement he could make. But Detroit’s NHL centers look solid, and Danielson stands to gain a lot by going back and showing he can dominate in the WHL.
The takeaway so far is that Danielson looks like a legitimate top-six center prospect. And that should be very exciting without needing to rush him into the league this season.
2. Who is Detroit’s No. 2 center?
The answer to that question may not be satisfactory, because what the preseason really demonstrated was how versatile and flexible Detroit can be with its six centers, Andrew Copp and Compher. We knew that of course – both players present themselves as two-way centers capable of playing in all situations – this weekend’s games reinforced that.
Copp looked good on Sunday playing with a rotating group of wingers after Robby Fabbri left the match due to injury. Compher settled in the typical Copp location between Rasmussen and David Perron and didn’t miss a beat. Compher set up Rasmussen for two easy goals and also finished one from Rasmussen to cap a three-point night. His acquisition raised eyebrows this summer, mainly due to the length of his five-year contract after a career year, but his 52-point production last season seems repeatable so far due to his patience, his decisions with the puck and his talent. a very good shot too.
All the usual preseason caveats apply, of course, and none of these preseason points count. But Compher already looks like he could play on an offensive line, a control line, or really any type of line where the Red Wings need him. The same goes for Copp, who had 42 points last season and predicted Friday that he would be “a different player this year” after a full summer of training and a clean bill of health.
Expect Detroit to do a lot of tinkering with its two middle centers, to the point where the second and third lines might not be particularly noticeable without the line sheets handed out in the press box.
3. Who should be City HussoIs this a backup?
OK, so this question hasn’t really been answered yet. That’s a good thing, though, considering Reimer and Lyon have both been impressive for Detroit. Reimer has stopped 19 of 21 shots between games, and Lyon is 29 of 32 — two numbers the Red Wings would gladly take when replacing Husso.
Both goaltenders played Sunday, and Lalonde called all of the goaltenders “really good.” Really, the only reason that might be sneaky is the lopsided score. Both goalkeepers made legitimate saves in this one.
From the start, Reimer felt like it was his job to lose, and he certainly didn’t lose it. But the question that arises is whether the Red Wings could sign three goalies in the regular season. Lalonde deferred this topic to general manager Steve Yzerman, meaning the subject will not be publicly discussed. Lalonde said, “I think we want to be smart about the depth at that position because it hurt us last year with injuries, and some guys went through different stages of their game.”
Especially with news of Andrei Vasilevskiy injury this week in Tampa, either Reimer or Lyon would present a real risk of being claimed on waivers. And to answer Lalonde’s point, having all three available is certainly desirable for Detroit in terms of depth. The other side of the coin, however, is managing repetitions between three goalkeepers, which poses a huge challenge both in matches and in training. But that could be an option if Detroit can’t bear the risk of losing one. And this seems more and more defensible.
4. Which young players can make this list?
This question becomes even more difficult if the Red Wings keep three goalies, but even with two, there aren’t many spots for promising prospects.
Edvinsson has looked NHL-ready for much of the preseason, even despite his three penalties on Sunday. The problem is he has seven established NHL defensemen in front of him.
He looked comfortable playing with a veteran Jeff Petry, and his pass to set up Sprong’s goal in Washington on Thursday was truly impressive. Edvinsson can find himself out of position at times, which is what counts, but that feels like a type of learning he’s ready and able to do in the NHL. It’s just that depth chart in front of him that complicates things, which could end up punching him into a ticket to Grand Rapids to start the year, barring a strong finish to the preseason.
However, the always important reminder this time of year: no roster, roster, or line is permanent. And given how Edvinsson looks, I believe he’ll see real minutes in the NHL this season no matter where he starts.
In the meantime, there appears to be a job to be had, if either Elmer Söderblom Or Jonathan Berggren can reach out and grab it.
Söderblom scored Sunday and delivered a big hit on the forecheck, both to be seen from the 6-foot-8 winger who was on the opening night roster of the ‘last year. My guess is one of these two will make the opening day 23-man roster.
But with the two waiver waivers, they’ll need strong finishes to make their case.
(Top photo of Michael Rasmussen playing against the Maple Leafs in 2022: Rick Osentoski/USA Today)
