Detroit Red Wings: Last Call for Zadina and Svechnikov

The Detroit Red Wings are set to play their eighth and final preseason game tonight. It is the second game of the home and home with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It is anything but a meaningless game for some young Detroit Red Wings. The Wings are begrudgingly playing host to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs on the second night of back to back games at 7 pm from LCA.

The Detroit Red Wings and every other team in the NHL should take note, do not take penalties against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs power play was banging on all cylinders last night. At times toying with the young Red Wings. The Leafs scored three of their six goals with the man advantage and also added a short-handed tally.

It wasn’t that long ago it was the other way around though. The Wings need to take notes; it’s time for them to model their franchise with the likes of the Leafs. For many years everyone else wanted to clone their franchise with the Wings, times have changed.

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With how bad the Leafs were a few seasons ago, it gives us hope that we can do the same thing within the next handful of years.

Jeff Blashill and the Red Wings brass wants to have a final look at Filip Zadina. Zadina didn’t get a power play opportunity last evening with the Wings playing nearly a full squad. Zadina also doesn’t kill many penalties, and the Wings were in the sin bin often last night.

With many top players getting the evening off tonight Filip Zadina is set to get top power play work and more five on five opportunities to impress the Red Wings coaching staff. Zadina has had an up, and down camp, he needs to produce tonight or play with a tremendous jump creating offense to make the team on opening night.

Per Dana Wikiji of DetroitRedWings.com

"“We want as many looks as we can at certain guys. The other thing that I think is important to understand is you can’t put everybody on the power play. Like last night, we had a real full lineup, Zadina wasn’t on the power play. I’d like to see him on the power play so he’s got to play again tonight in order to be on that. Maybe he’s on the first unit where it goes out all the time so now you got a little more power play time Blashill said."

Blashill gave Martin Frk an opportunity last night often skating him with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha. Frk still seemed a little rusty and a bit too tentative. Frk was fussing with the puck a little too much at times rather than lowering his shoulder and driving it to the net. Martin Frk didn’t see much action on the power play. Dennis Cholowski played in Mike Green‘s spot, and Andreas Athanasiou saw some time where Martin Frk would have customarily played last season.

Frk played only 12:40 last night and was unable to record a shot on goal. It seems Martin Frk may be the odd man out. The Wings may keep Frk rostered because he only has a 1 million dollar cap hit.

Frk needs waivers to be sent down, and if he got claimed it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world but if Detroit feels Zadina or Svechnikov need more seasoning in Grand Rapids they may decide to hold onto Martin for now.

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Evgeny Svechnikov was absent from the line-up last night which doesn’t bode well for him as Detroit fielded the majority of their expected opening night forwards. I hope Svechnikov is highly involved tonight and he will need to show some type of offensive magic and solid board work down low to net himself as a top 13 Detroit Red Wings forward on opening night.

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