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Detroit Red Wings: Libor Sulak’s future role as an NHL defender

By Joseph Wooley

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 04: Libor Sulak #47 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Caesars Arena on October 4, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 04: Libor Sulak #47 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Caesars Arena on October 4, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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To begin the 2018-19 season, the Detroit Red Wings included Libor Sulak as one of their young defensive core. He played in six games, all losses as a part of the Red Wings’ dismal start. Sulak was then sent down to the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he has played since.

Last week, when the Detroit Red Wings lost Danny DeKeyser to a hand injury, there was much speculation on who would be brought up from Grand Rapids as a replacement. To partly fill the void, Brian Lashoff was confoundingly promoted and unceremoniously demoted less than a week later. A dark horse candidate for the role was Libor Sulak, who has already spent time in Detroit this year.

Sulak lasted only six games for the Red Wings, but he still displayed some nice qualities in his brief time. He took on a bit of an enforcer role in substantial ice time. He also ran interference on several shots which led to a couple of goals for the team.

This did get him into trouble as he was beaten on more than one occasion allowing for some easy goals on the other side. All in all, though, there were a few standout moments in his early performance. Some of his defects can be chalked up to youth and experience; he is only 24 years old, and these six games are the only ones in his NHL career.

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To combat the horrendous start to the season, Jeff Blashill and his staff tried anything to right the ship. This included sending Sulak to Grand Rapids which made room for the eventual return of other defensemen, such as Mike Green. The decision to move Sulak was made easier after an admittedly poor outing in a blowout loss to Boston.

In Grand Rapids, Sulak has already shown improvement. In 24 games, he has put up numbers at least as good as Lashoff’s, and he continues to be that enforcer-type the Red Wings always seem to need. Keep in mind, his American career has been quite short.

Before this year, Sulak only appeared in two games for the Griffins. As he gains more experience, he has the chance to qualify for the Red Wings roster. If he gets NHL opportunities like his Griffin teammates, Joe Hicketts or Dylan McIlrath, for example, he could be a positive force for this team.

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The defense for the Detroit Red Wings this season has been a case of damaged goods. This week, Mike Green went down again, and Filip Hronek got the call. With the revolving door of players, Libor Sulak deserves another shot, especially after the few bright spots from his first six games. Don’t be surprised if he gets that chance at some point this season.

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