Detroit Red Wings: 4 forwards on the bubble heading into camp
Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings made a conscious effort to improve their roster over the summer, primarily through free agency. The new additions to the lineup will help the team be more competitive but also leaves a few players on the outside looking in.
When you start looking over Detroit’s newly formed roster, it won’t take long to realize that some familiar faces will struggle to find a role with the team in 2022-23.
This will also leave Yzerman and the newly appointed head coach Derek Lalonde with a few difficult decisions to make as they try and trim the roster to 23 players ahead of opening day.
Let’s look at four Detroit Red Wings forwards firmly on the bubble heading into training camp.
The first name on this list is Joe Veleno.
When you look at the addition of Andrew Copp, who is expected to center Detroit’s second line behind Dylan Larkin, that pushes Pius Suter down to the third group, which should suit his skill-set a bit better.
That only lengthens Detroit’s lineup moving center Michael Rasmussen down to the fourth line in a checking role he excelled in last season under Jeff Blashill. This role should not change with Lalonde, who is known for his defensive expertise.
Where does that leave a player like Veleno?
Sure, Veleno can play a wing, but his style of play is not one of a fourth-line winger. The Detroit Red Wings recently signed Filip Zadina to a contract extension, plus signed scoring winger Dominik Kubalik in free agency, who will be penciled in on the third line. Veleno needs to skate in the top nine to be effective, and barring an injury, I don’t see a spot in Detroit for the 22-year-old to begin the season.
Veleno began the year in Grand Rapids last season, scoring six goals and 10 points over 11 games before getting the call to Detroit. Veleno recorded 15 points with the Red Wings, including eight goals over 66 games.
It’s worth noting that Veleno does not need to pass through waivers if the Detroit Red Wings elect to send him back to Grand Rapids; that will factor into the decision unless Veleno plays his way into the top nine during training camp and the preseason.
Detroit Red Wings rookie Jonatan Berggren is on the bubble heading into training camp.
It seems odd to name a rookie that has yet to appear in an NHL game as a ‘bubble’ player and think of it in a positive context, but that’s precisely what we’ve got with forward Jonatan Berggren.
Berggren, similar to Veleno, will have every opportunity to make the Detroit Red Wings roster out of camp, but to do so, he will need to outperform someone who is currently slated to start the year in Detroit’s top nine.
It is safe to say that the days of sliding a young struggling scoring winger down to the fourth line to play minimal minutes with offensively hindered players are behind us. Former head coach Jeff Blashill was known for placing struggling young forwards such as Anthony Mantha and Filip Zadina on the fourth line alongside players like Luke Glendening.
While Glendening’s style of play serves a purpose, pairing him with Zadina or, in this case, Berggren with Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist just doesn’t function in a useful manner. Now, Rasmussen has offensive upside and put it on full display in the final month of the regular season. Rasmussen notched seven goals over the team’s last 16 games. There is an outside chance he beats out Suter for the third-line center job, but I feel he’s more likely to begin the year on the fourth line, and that’s not where Berggren should start.
Now, it won’t be impossible for Berggren, 22, to earn a spot with the Detroit Red Wings to begin the season, but it seems like a longshot at this point. We can always point to last season.
Yzerman and the Red Wings were all but set to send Lucas Raymond to Grand Rapids, but the rookie forward performed so well that the organization had no choice but to keep him in Detroit. Raymond beat out veteran forward Bobby Ryan for a final roster spot last season.
As it stands, the top three sets of wingers are Bertuzzi/Raymond, Vrana/Perron and Kubalik/Zadina. Many fans will point to Zadina as the weakest link, but after signing a three-year extension, he will get the first crack at remaining in Detroit.
Berggren is coming off a stellar first season in Grand Rapids, scoring 21 goals totaling 64 points in 70 games. If an injury occurs to a top-nine winger, Berggren will be first-in-line to receive a call-up, especially if he can pick right up where he left off last season.
Detroit Red Wings forward Taro Hirose remains on the bubble heading into training camp.
Taro Hirose, 26, started his career with the Detroit Red Wings with a boom, but he’s struggled to maintain any stability at the NHL level since.
Hirose burst onto the scene with the Red Wings in 2018-19, following a stellar career at Michigan State.
Hirose began his NHL career recording one goal and seven points over ten games. Initially, he proved to be a valuable set-up man with an above-average vision and playmaking abilities. However, he has failed to duplicate that same skill-set at the NHL level in three separate stints since.
Hirose has appeared in 47 games since 18-19, recording just 13 points. Last season Hirose performed very well, with Grand Rapids recording 15 goals and 53 points in 59 games. The 26-year-old helped pace the Griffins’ offense finishing second in scoring to Berggren.
The fact of the matter is, Hirose will find himself hard pressed to make Detroit’s roster to begin the season because year after year, he finds himself falling further and further down the depth chart with the influx of youth within the organization.
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This past May, the Detroit Red Wings rewarded Hirose’s tremendous play in Grand Rapids by giving him a two-year contract extension to remain with the organization.
I expect to see Hirose on the outside looking in with the addition of winger Dominik Kubalik, but with a strong camp can put his name up near the top of the list of first call-ups if injuries occur. Let’s not forget that Robby Fabbri, who will begin the year on the injured reserve list, will be expected to return sometime around midseason and will be looking to unseat someone. Fabbri will skip to the top of the line, which pushes everyone on this list down another slot.
Time is running out for Detroit Red Wings forward Givani Smith.
Detroit Red Wings power forward Givani Smith has quickly become a fan favorite due to his willingness to defend his teammates and his rugged style of play. Red Wings fans and physical power forwards go together like peanut butter and jelly.
When you look across Detroit’s roster, there just isn’t a spot for both Smith and Adam Erne.
Erne is a more proven player and someone Steve Yzerman brought over with him from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although Erne struggled last season, two years ago in a Covid-19 shortened season, he recorded 11 goals and 20 points in just 45 games. That’s some efficient production for a bottom six grinding-type forward.
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Unfortunately for the Red Wings, Erne struggled to make the same impact last season, scoring just six times in 79 games.
Givani Smith scored four times last season, totaling seven points in 46 games. Smith has totaled 14 points in 83 career NHL games over parts of three seasons. Last year was the first time Smith remained with the Red Wings splitting time on the ice and in the press box as a spectator.
Like Erne, Smith brings a physical dimension to the Red Wings’ fourth line. Again, I don’t see a path that puts Smith and Erne both on the active roster, and both players need to clear waivers if sent down. I believe there is a better chance that Smith clears waivers over Erne, but with most NHL teams making tough cuts early on in the season, I see a scenario where either clears waivers.
I will say this, making tough roster decisions are a good thing. This suggests the overall talent on the roster is improving, which points to the rebuild progressing in a positive direction.