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Fabbri is on his way back to the lineup, and Coach Lalonde was fairly candid about his decision making process. You can watch the presser yourself using the link above.
What stood out to me more than anything was a fairly definitive stance. The coach feels strongly that Veleno, Berggren and Soderblom are all going to be on the roster due to their play of late.
Most of you know I’ve been tough on Veleno. A big part of that was his game wasn’t “maturing… to the level it needed to. For most prospects, they need to put on some muscle as well as learn the pace of the NHL game. For Joe, losing 11 pounds seemed to really help him increase speed without losing the strength he needs to battle. Berggren, I’ve said for the past couple years, is much better as a center with Veleno on the wing. Those two have been a lot more fun to watch, especially lately (though some cringeworthy mishaps have found their way in).
So this is pro sports. Jobs are taken. If Fabbri is indeed in the lineup on Wednesday, at first glance I feel like Suter may be a candidate. Larkin has also been playing with an injured hand, but he still creates. I invited each of you to list who you think will be in a suit and tie on Wednesday.
Final thought, it’s really impressive to see where Detroit is as the new year starts. For a team where the post season still isn’t really the expectation, they are staying in the mix. I don’t see any rental players, but summer free agency and the draft could be interesting this time around. NYR is “leaking… that they want to move Lafreniere. I can see them using that as a piece (of many) to try and get Kane out of Chicago with a team like Detroit taking on salary and draft picks.
Yzerman is really working at building something. Not to sound like a cruel individual, but I get excited to see 52 hit the ice for the first time in a while. Give me your thoughts, and I hope you all had a good new year.