More Polish Needed
Micheal Brandsegg-Nygard was one of three Detroit Red Wings rookies on the opening night roster. Through nine games, Brandsegg-Nygard saw diminishing time on ice and by his last game, he played just under 7 minutes. Though surprising to some, this is actually something of a pattern with Brandsegg-Nygard, who competed for a roster spot in last year's Red Wings preseason before returning to the SHL Skelleftea.
In the SHL regular season, it was Brandsegg-Nygard's teammate and fellow Red Wings draftee Axel Sandin-Pellikka lighting up the scoresheet. Through 42 games with Skelleftea, Brandsegg-Nygard sported a line of 5 goals 6 assists and 51 PIM.
Come the playoffs, however, and the young Norwegian forward had 4 goals and 2 assists in 11 games before the team was eliminated. Shortly after he was in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins for their cup of coffee in the Calder Cup race. He had as many points as games played, with 2 goals and 1 assist through the Griffins' three games. With his demotion, Detroit has left an open spot with only 12 forwards on the roster
The Usual Suspects
The Red Wings options to fill Brandsegg-Nygard's roster spot have seen their stock fluctuate over the course of the last week. The most obvious choice was Carter Mazur, Detroit's second round pick in 2021. Mazur plays the same sort of physical style as Brandsegg-Nygard, albeit in a smaller package, which leads to the main point. As has been reported by several other outlets, Mazur was injured in practice and is now out for an indeterminate amount of time.
Unfortunately, this is also something of a pattern for Mazur, whose first NHL shift last season was also his last after breaking his elbow. Mazur had also spent most of the season not playing for Grand Rapids after a preseason upper body injury that the team left intentionally vague. Nate Danielson also had a strong camp and indicated he was also pushing for a spot with the main club before having to be placed on IR to start the season.
Danielson has since returned and been assigned to Grand Rapids, with the Detroit News reporting that General Manager Steve Yzerman was in attendance for his first game, though it would end up being the second game back in which Danielson would make his impact. In that game second game against the Iowa Wild he would have the GWG in the shootout as well as a goal in regulation. However, given the sudden loss of depth with Mazur out, it may be better for Danielson to continue to get top line minutes while the Griffins continue their best-ever start. With those two options eliminated, Detroit's young depth suddenly looks a lot shallower.
Other Options
Aside from those more highly touted names, the Red Wings also have a few other options at forward in Grand Rapids. Amadeus Lombardi isn't on the same furious goal-scoring pace he was last year, but with 6 assists and a plus-six rating to begin the season, he's improved on some of his defensive lapses.
More veteran names include Austin Watson, who signed last year and played in 13 games for the Red Wings in addition to his 60 with the Griffins. Watson would bring more sandpaper to the lineup, but he has played in only 4 of 6 games this season. He does have 2 goals so far this year, and had 19 in the AHL last season. The Griffins' current scoring leader John Leonard, could also be a consideration. The 27 year-old has 6 goals and 2 assists through 5 games this season and 70 NHL games under his belt.