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#RedWings first group at camp today:
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) January 7, 2021
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha
Zadina-Fabbri-Ryan
Namestnikov-Filppula-Gagner
Brome-Glendening-Erne
Nielsen
Helm still unfit to practice.
DeKeyser-Hornek
Staal-Nemeth
Merrill-Stecher
No update on Svechnikov, who wouldn’t be with this group anyway. pic.twitter.com/gwam89enH9
Detroit’s first Red and White scrimmage had more than its share of interesting moments. I’d noted that Turner Elson and Evgeni Svechnikov both left with injuries. Svech (along with Helm) is deemed “unfit to play… at this point. There is no good feeling about this, hoping it is just a minor tweak.
So, take a look above. This is, more than likely, what the season opener will look like. LARMANZZI is in tact. Zadina-Fabbri-Ryan has all sorts of potential above the second line last year. Namestnikov-Filppula-Gagner is a solid third line. You can swap at center if you need to, and Gagner adds some creativity with a right shot. Brome-Glendening-Erne (Nielsen out) is a bit of mishmash. Brome has some potential and could end up higher in the lineup. I think Namestnikov and Ryan could swap spots at some point. Very fluid at this point. Defensive pairings see Dekeyser-Hronek, Staal-Nemeth (although Merrill has rotated in with Nemeth) and Merrill - Stecher (again, Merrill and Staal could swap). Hronek is clearly, currently, our best all around defenseman. A healthy Dekeyser? I have no idea. He’s got the tools to be a positive presence, but it’s clear that defensive depth is an issue.
Hopefully, there will be improvement. The injury riddled nightmare of last season saw a lack of consistency in pairings. All that aside, Seider’s development is imperative on the right side, and we need a left side defender. Greg Wyshinski has ranked Detroit as “least watchable… team in the league. Bob Duff has called the Wings “better, but still not good…. While I’m sparing you the links, the points have been painfully obvious to anyone watching. As exciting as the upgrades are, this season is going to be tough. Greiss will make it more palpable, and with Bernier will help keep things lower than 4GAA, but the scoring was as much of a problem. The hope is that a better second line will free up the first line a little bit more. Teams were able to focus solely on Larkin and Co without much concern regarding the other 9 forwards.
I am optimistic. I think the games will be easier to watch than last year, but not necessarily fun to watch all the time. We have several contracts coming off the books (Helm, Filppula, Glendening, Ryan, Gagner with Erne and Bert as RFA. Staal, Nemeth, Merrill, Biega with Hronek as RFA). Coming into the fold could be Elmer Soderblom, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and it remains to be seen if Rasmussen or Lindstrom can grab depth roles. There’s still some work to be done.
The focus this season, for me, is the improvement on in game decision making. Limit turnovers (especially in front of your own net), create more scoring chances and play through the game. On many nights, you’ll have to give the edge in “talent… to the other team. But, are they outworking Detroit? That’s what this team can control. Without a major (at least perceived) change in strategies, it’s essentially going to be measuring the development of future players and how they’re approaching the game. Hopefully, there will be some pleasant surprises.