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The Buzz: Does Brunnstrom have a chance in Detroit? |
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The Detroit Red Wings are by far the best team in the NHL at identifying players from Sweden who can help their hockey club. Several years ago, they were one of the teams in the hunt for Fabian Brunnstrom before he signed with the Dallas Stars. Now they finally got their man but it's under different circumstances.
After flopping in Dallas and failing to impress with the AHL's Toronto Marlies in the second half of last season, Brunnstrom has agreed to attend the Red Wings training camp on a tryout basis. According to sources, it will either be the NHL or a return to Europe for Brunnstrom. The 26-year-old is unlikely to play another year in the AHL.
Brunnstrom has shown flashes of being a good NHL player but has never had any sustained success. The question is whether it's a matter of work ethic and consistency or if Brunnstrom just isn't quite an NHL player.
HockeyBuzz's Bill Meltzer has been following Brunnstrom's career longer than most any writer in North America. He says that Brunnstrom's journey to the NHL was a Cinderella story of sorts -- a player who was a virtual unknown even in Sweden until the season before he signed in Dallas.
"He came out of nowhere in 2007-08," said Meltzer. "He had worked his way up one rung at a time from Division II hockey -- which is the fourth tier of hockey in Sweden (Elitserien, Allsvenskan, Division I, Division II) -- and was a top minor league player until he finally got his shot in the top league. He took Elitserien by storm in the first half of 2007-08, and there was suddenly a bunch of NHL teams competing to sign him. But even that year, he faded badly down the stretch and was a non-factor in the playoffs. So I think there were already warning signs that he'd struggle for awhile in the NHL. That's been exactly what's happened.
"On the other hand, there are players who are simply late bloomers. I recall that before Brunnström signed with Dallas, Håkan Loob (former NHL player who was the GM of Färjestad at the time) warned that Fabian was a player who would probably require several years of patience for a team at the NHL level to reap any benefits. He had already come a long way -- there were elements of an NHL game on display in terms of his puck skills -- but had a long way to go to be a consistent or well-rounded player.
"There is no risk on the Red Wings' part to at least take a look at Brunnström in camp and see if he can fit in their system. I can't say that I'm too optimistic about his NHL future, but he wouldn't be the first player who ended up being a good fit in Detroit off a tryout. Look at what Daniel Cleary has done in Detroit after no one else wanted him. Same thing with Mikael Samuelsson. It can happen. The Wings wouldn't be bringing him in if they thought it was a waste of everyone's time."
Mike Babcock is an excellent judge of whether players fit into his demanding system. He'll know very quickly whether Brunnstrom has what it takes to fill one of the roster spots that is up for grabs.
What's the Buzz? Do you think Brunnstrom has a legitimate shot at earning a place on the Red Wings? If not, do you see him fitting in elsewhere?
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