Red Wings Preview: With a Limited Roster, the Focus is on Development

With the end of the NHL season right around the corner, there are a handful of teams looking to use the remaining games to either fight their way into a playoff spot or tune up for a run. But for a banged up bottom feeder like the Detroit Red Wings, fans are looking for something else – player development.

Detroit entered the series against Dallas missing a few of their starters. Tyler Bertuzzi, injured near the end of January, seems doubtful to return at all this season. Robby Fabbri is close to returning, but won’t see the ice in game two against the Stars. Although not necessarily a major hit to the roster, the Wings will also be without depth forward Frans Nielsen. Lastly, Jakub Vrana was healthy scratched for a non-COVID illness Monday night, and could be scratched again in Tuesday’s rematch.

Red Wings fans received some exciting news entering the series against Dallas, as it was announced Joe Veleno was assigned to the main roster. However, it seems Detroit fans will have to wait just a little longer to see the prospect in action, as it was announced that he will sit out both road games against the stars.

With this many holes in the roster entering game two against the Stars, Detroit fans can find some excitement by keeping an eye on some of the Red Wings developing talent. Filip Zadina is the most obvious player to watch, as his spot on the first line besides Captain Dylan Larkin will keep him in the spotlight for most of the game. He’s getting better with every series, and it will be interesting to see if he will start putting pucks in the net in game two.

Michael Rasmussen and Gustav Lindstrom are also young players to watch in this series. Rasmussen has stepped up his play of late, and seems to be quite comfortable as a regular on Detroit’s roster. Despite a few rookie mistakes, Gustav Lindstrom (who spent a majority of his season with Grand Rapids) has looked quite good in his time in the majors, and Detroit fans can keep on eye on the young defenseman’s development.

Detroit will test their roster against the desperate Dallas Stars, a team right outside of playoff contention. In their first game, Detroit kept it close despite being outplayed for much of the game, sending it to a shootout. Can Detroit add some offensive output to a solid defensive effort, and pull out a win in game two against Dallas?