Here are the post game interviews that were compiled after Grand Rapids had a comeback win to even up the series at 2 apiece. Tomorrow is the elimination game. Only one team will move on and the other will turn their attention to locker clean out, team photos, exit interviews and summer instructions. Some players will continue their path to grab an NHL path, some will move on. It’s a strange and sudden end after a long year and a long series.
The drama that will also unfold is, who will be on the ice? It’s possible Milwaukee has a compromised crease, while Edvinsson and Berggren both exited the game before the end for some sort of maintenance. Milwaukee’s M.O. is not to share the lineup on game day so it seems that Grand Rapids also holds those cards close to the vest in response.
Mlive did a summary piece on McKeen’s prospect pipeline rating. The website ranked Detroit #1 listing the following 10 players: Simon Edvinsson, Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Sebastian Cossa, Trey Augustine, Carter Mazur, William Wallinder, Shai Buium and Dimitri Buchelnikov as the top 10. Edvinsson seems destined to start the season in Detroit, and on that list he’s the only one considered to be at that point. I personally look at Mazur as a bottom 6 option who has shown some nice back checking and physicality. At this point, Augustine will remain at MSU Sandin-Pellikka and Buchelnikov will remain overseas according to Mlive.
It’s been interesting to see some growth in the post season as Cossa continues to find his rhythm and Kasper has had some flashes of potential. Top 6 reps for he and Danielson may well at least start the season in Grand Rapids while high on the callup list. Jonatan Berggren, we just don’t know what’s going to happen at this point.
In that same vein, David Perron is, at this point, heading to free agency. At 36 Perron is coming off of a contract with a 4.75m AAV and I was a bit surprised to see comments where he may expect a pay bump in free agency. That’s a completely different write up as there are a lot of moving parts that may find players taking shorter deals on fewer dollars than they were hoping for (opinion). Clubs are now taking a very real look at cap space and committed dollars.
For now, it’s still a pleasure to have a continued path for the AHL affiliate. The herd is thinning as we push toward June. Calls are being made, lists compiled and options being looked at by clubs in preparation for the draft, buyout window, RFAs and free agency. Utah adds an interesting dynamic to it all. It could be a very interesting summer with sporadic blasts and then waiting for the next move. For now, game 5 in Milwaukee is a focus for the office personnel.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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