The Detroit Red Wings Stock Exchange Week Three

After an exciting stretch of play, the Detroit Red Wings have regained a winning percentage on the year, currently sitting at a 7-6-2 – let’s assess a few player performances by revisiting the “stock exchange”.

Trending Up

Vladislav Namestnikov

Out of all of the great performances to come out of the season so far, Namestnikov’s hot start has been perhaps the most unexpected. He’s currently tied with Dylan Larkin in points (with nine) and he’s seven goals are the second most on the team. He was especially effective against the Edmonton Oilers, scoring two goals in Detroit’s 4-2 victory. After a mediocre performance last season, Namestnikov has been quite good to kick off the year. Let’s see stay hot in the coming weeks. If he does, he’ll be a tantalizing piece for contending teams at the trade deadline.

Pius Suter

After a slow start, Suter is finally heating up. He’s developing chemistry with his second-line wingers, Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina, and the results have been clear on the ice. Suter is complimentary center that is responsible defensively – it was only a matter of time before he starting getting comfortable in Jeff Blashill’s scheme. This is likely just the start for Suter, as I expect him to just keep improving as the season marches on. Buy stock in Suter while it’s still low.

Trending Down

Givani Smith

Smith is a fan favorite. He’s gritty, feisty and a hard-worker on Detroit’s fourth line. Unfortunately, that just has not translated to the stat sheet this year. Through 12 games, Smith has yet to tally a single assist or goal. There is plenty of time to start contributing offensively and carve out a role on the future of the team (he has another year left on his contract), but in a small sample size, Smith has been a bit disappointing.

Michael Rasmussen

Last week, I said not to give up on Rasmussen. Well, it’s getting a lot harder to defend the big center after his performances this week. Rasmussen has been perfectly acceptable on the fourth line in defensive situations, but he struggles mightily on offense. His confidence seems shaken of late, whiffing on scoring opportunities and struggling to win board battles. Again, like Smith, Rasmussen has quite a while to improve his play and prove he has role on the team when they are contending. But for now, his performance after signing a three-year extension has been pretty disappointing.

Holding Steady

Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond

Not much has changed since the last time we check on Detroit’s rookies. The duo still leads the NHL in rookie points; Raymond with 14 and Seider with 11. The league is officially on notice – Raymond is currently the favorite to win the Calder, and Seider is right up there with him. The two rookies have been key in the Red Wings early success, and it doesn’t seem like their stock will be falling any time soon. In fact, you could argue that their stock is just rising with every week as the league starts to pay attention.