Detroit Red Wings Training Camp Preview: Players in the Spotlight

Training Camp for the Detroit Red Wings starts on Thursday, Sept. 23 at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City.  The camp will run until Tuesday September 28.  The Red Wings will play eight exhibition games in 10 days beginning Wednesday, Sept. 29 at the United Center in Chicago against the Black Hawks.

Several roster decisions must be made through the training camp and exhibition schedule.  Numerous players have a lot to prove over the next couple of weeks.

Here are some players in the spotlight as we begin what will hopefully be the next step in the rebuild for the Red Wings.

Dylan Larkin

At 25, Dylan Larkin is entering the prime of his professional hockey career.  Offensively, Larkin has regressed since his best offensive season in 2018-19.

Last season was marred by a shortened schedule, a significant season-ending neck injury, an injury to Tyler Bertuzzi, and the trade of Anthony Mantha.  Larkin only scored nine goals and 23 points in 44 games before the injury ended his season.

This year, Larkin will have no excuses, and needs to perform like the player he has been in the past.  Bertuzzi is back and hopefully healthy.  Mantha has been replaced by the skilled Jakub Vrana. If healthy, the trio should be the top line for the Red Wings this year.  But, there are no guarantees in professional sports.

Larkin has two years left on his current contract before he becomes an UFA.  He is the highest paid player on the Red Wings at an annual salary of $6.1 million.  He is entering his second season as the captain of the Red Wings and needs to prove that he is part of the long-term plan for the team.

General Manager Steve Yzerman will be watching Larkin closely throughout the season.  Everyone is hoping that Larkin can rebound and become the dominant forward that is needed.  Yzerman has a number of ways to go when it comes to Larkin.

Yzerman can hope that Larkin rebounds and then he can be re-signed to a contract extension before he hits free agency.  If Larkin isn’t part of the long-term plans, Yzerman will not hesitate to move him at some point before the end of the 2023 season.

Tyler Bertuzzi

Tyler Bertuzzi recently signed a two year contract extension to continue to play in Detroit.  He will earn $4,750,000 annually for the duration of the deal.  Like Larkin, Bertuzzi will become an UFA after the 2022-23 season.

Due to a serious back injury, Bertuzzi only played nine games last season.  He scored five goals and seven points before the injury became too much to handle.  He underwent surgery and hopefully he is healthy to begin training camp.

If healthy, Bertuzzi is a significant part of Detroit’s top line. He is a multi-dimensional player who in my opinion makes Dylan Larkin a better player.  He plays a high energy aggressive game that was sorely missed after his season ended.  Prior to last season, Bertuzzi had consecutive 21 goal seasons.

Playing on a line with Jakub Vrana and Dylan Larkin should be fun to watch.  The power play should be improved as the trio should be on the top unit.

This is an important year for Bertuzzi and the Red Wings.  Is Bertuzzi part of the rebuild?  Should he be used as a trade chip to acquire players or picks that can help the team when they will hopefully become contenders?

If Bertuzzi’s back doesn’t cooperate, the Red Wings are only on the hook financially for two years. Only time will tell, and we should get some idea during the next two weeks of camp.

Lucas Raymond

Lucas Raymond is one of the top prospects in the Detroit system.  He is one of very few right-shot forwards vying for a roster spot with the Red Wings.

He recently played two games in the Prospects Tournament and he scored three goals.  He played the first game with Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren and played admirably.  In his second game, he played on a line with Veleno and Kirill Tyutyayev.  The line showed a great deal of skill and Raymond scored two goals.

Last year, Raymond played in Frolunda (SHL).  In a limited role, Raymond still scored 18 points in 34 games.  Playing for Sweden at the World Junior Championships, Raymond scored five points in five games.

Raymond recently signed his entry-level contract and this year will play in North America full-time.  Offensively, Raymond can play in the NHL today.  The Red Wings may decide to at least have Raymond start the season in the AHL.

A strong exhibition season may alter the plans the Red Wings have for Raymond.  There is no doubt that at some point in the near future, Lucas Raymond will be a full-time player in Detroit.

Moritz Seider

The much anticipated debut of Moritz Seider should occur next month when the Red Wings begin the regular season against Tampa Bay.  Seider is the most important prospect in the Detroit system.  Since he was drafted, Seider has played exceptional hockey.

At 18, Seider was coming off his first year of professional hockey in the DEL.  He played 49 games for Grand Rapids (AHL) where he scored 22 points.  Last year, Seider was loaned to Rogle (SHL) where he scored 28 points in 41 regular season games and five points in 13 games in the playoffs.  For his efforts, Seider was named as the Top Defenseman in the SHL.

Seider played in the World Championships for Germany.  In the tournament, Seider scored five points in 10 games and was once again voted as the Top Defenseman.

During the summer, the Red Wings made a trade for veteran defenseman Nick Leddy.  It is expected that Seider and Leddy will play as the top defense pairing for the Red Wings this year.  The emergence of Seider should take some of the pressure off the returning Detroit defense.

It appears that Seider is ready to make the next step in his hockey career.  It should be fun to watch the big German defenseman play in the NHL for Detroit.

Alex Nedeljkovic

Alex Nedeljkovic was traded to the Detroit Red Wings before the Entry Draft.  This may turn out to be the most important trade of Steve Yzerman’s tenure as General Manager in Detroit.

Nedeljkovic finished his junior career in my hometown in St. Catharines, ON when he played for Niagara (OHL).  Since turning professional, Nedeljkovic has been outstanding.

In 2019, he helped Charlotte (AHL) win the Calder Cup Championship.  He won the award as the Top Goaltender in the AHL and led the league with 34 wins.

Last year Nedljkovic played 23 regular season and nine playoff games for the Carolina Hurricanes.  He was named to the All-Rookie team when he posted an impressive record of 15-5-3.  He also had the lowest GAA (1.90) among qualifying goalies.  Nedeljkovic also had the best SV% (.932) for goalies in the NHL last year.

After being a RFA, Nedeljkovic signed a two-year contract extension to play for Detroit.  At 25, Nedeljkovic needs to prove that he can play at a high level for the Red Wings.  He has a terrific mentor in Thomas Greiss, but don’t be surprised to see Nedeljkovic play 50-60 games for Detroit this year.

Filip Zadina

This is an extremely important year for Filip Zadina.  After two pandemic-shortened seasons, Zadina and the Red Wings are ready to move forward in the rebuild.

When Zadina was drafted, it was highly publicized that Zadina wants to make teams pay for allowing him to slide to 6th in the 2018 draft.

Zadina played parts of two seasons in the AHL playing for Grand Rapids.  Last year was his first full season in the NHL.  Although Zadina didn’t show the offensive prowess that is expected, he did improve his play without the puck.  Last year Zadina scored six goals and 19 points in 49 regular season games.

The Red Wings are hoping that this year will be a breakout year offensively for the skilled player.  Zadina will turn 22 this fall and should be an important piece of Detroit’s future.  Zadina is expected to play a middle-six role with Detroit.  He will most likely play on a line with Pius Suter and Robby Fabbri during the exhibition schedule.

Wings fans are anxious to watch Zadina continue to develop into a terrific offensive weapon for the Red Wings.