Are Coreau's Detroit days numbered?

Jared Coreau’s days in the Detroit Red Wings organization could soon be at an end. An NHL source indicated Thursday that the goalie, who saw action in 14 games for the Red Wings last season and would be required to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL, likely won’t be able to pass through those waivers without a claim being made. The source suggested there were as many as four NHL teams contemplating putting in a claim for Coreau if he is waived, a list that would include the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames. The Leafs have been on the lookout for a goalie, no doubt worried about goaltending depth behind the injury-prone Frederik Andersen. Curiously, Coreau met with Toronto back-up goalie Curtis McElhinney in the summer to try and learn more about the mindset it takes to be a second-string netminder in the NHL. Coreau has made it clear that he has no desire to be a team’s minor-league safety valve for much longer. “My goal is to be a one or two eventually, right?… Coreau said. “Some guys can become content being a No. 3, but I don’t want to be that guy.… Toll Booth To suggest that David Booth is a longshot to make the Detroit Red Wings roster is akin to saying that it’s unlikely that Donald Trump will be invited to be the keynote speaker at the next NAACP national convention. A journeyman veteran forward in camp on a pro tryout, seeking to earn a contract from a team with salary cap issues, well, you do the math. It would be a dream come true for the Detroit-born Booth, 32, to wear the Red Wings jersey for real, but he knows the odds are stacked against him making that happen. “It is really special (to be a Wing),… Booth said. “Our family has had season tickets for 25 years,… Booth said. “I can remember in the Stanley Cup finals (as a teenager) skating the flag around the ice. Being so ingrained in this culture here of the Detroit Red Wings, it motivates me even more. “Every kid that grows up in a hometown that has an NHL team, their dream is to play for that team most likely. Whether it’s Chicago, Boston or Montreal, you always dream of playing for your hometown team, so this (wearing the winged wheel) still has an effect on me.… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill admits that he’s liked what he’s seen from Booth in the preseason. “I think David Booth coming in here, I talked to him yesterday, I didn’t know what to expect,… Blashill said. “I hadn’t seen him play in a couple years. He was playing in Russia the last couple years. I knew him from when he was younger, I actually coached him on a Michigan team. “I think he’s done a very good job in camp. I think he’s been physical, I think he’s won battles, I think at times he’s sparked our team. “He’s a real smart player, real good on the wall, has lots of poise. So we’ll see. I get a chance to watch him a couple more times.… Booth played Thursday against Chicago and will likely get one more preseason test, probably Saturday in Toronto, before a verdict on his future is registered. Has he done enough to earn a contract from the Wings? That’s highly doubtful. But there could be a Plan B in Booth’s future that would still keep him close to Detroit. There’s always the possibility that he will be signed to an AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and Booth didn’t rule out that as a possibility he’d consider. “Practicing with those guys too, seeing those young guys, they’re a close group and having them win it last year, you can tell they have a special group,… Booth said. “It would be tough playing that kind of schedule, busing everywhere, but life’s tough. “It doesn’t say I’ve ruled it out, but that is something I would have to give more thought to than just saying yes or know right off the start.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer