Red Wings: What are the Realistic Expectations for Elmer Soderblom?

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The Detroit Red Wings season opener is Friday night against the Montreal Canadiens. This game marks the start of a seven season drought. The drought I’m referring too? The playoffs.

The Detroit Red Wings have missed the playoffs for six straight years, and as they head into the year, the Red Wings will be looking to make a step in the right direction. A big part of that was what they did in the off-season. By Acquiring Ville Husso via. trade, and signing some key players, the Red Wings are in good shape to start the year. But, there are more key points than that.

Last year the Red Wings showed that with the right off-season, and a change in coaching, they could be ready to take a jump to the playoffs. Part of the reason we can say that is due to how well they did with recognizing that Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond were ready to make the jump to the NHL.

Now, the season is nearing and the Red Wings had to make a ton of tough calls. Some of those calls included Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson and Jonatan Berggren. All of three of them were sent down to Grand Rapids in order to see more minutes and find another layer to their game.

Now, although Derek Lalonde isn’t wrong in what he said about them finding more consistency and minutes down there, there seemed to be a consensus going into the season that Edvinsson was going to be with us. Now that he’s not, it has kind of questioning what to expect from this team. But there is one thing that may make your day better; Although there were a lot of tough decisions made on who they want to start the season with them, there was only one name they felt comfortable with- Elmer Soderblom.

Elmer Soderblom. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

What Are the Expectations for Elmer Soderblom?

Elmer Soderblom, a former sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft, has officially made the Detroit Red Wings opening night roster. The 6’8, 249 lbs. forward has made a name for himself due to his elite puck skills and size. Both which greatly benefits the Red Wings team.

So far throughout camp, the speculation is that Soderblom will be on the Red Wings fourth line alongside Michael Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist. Now, to some, that may seem like a misuse of talent. Especially given how Rasmussen finished last season. However, the size of this line could make them a terrific fourth line.

As I stated earlier, Soderblom is 6’8 249 lbs. Rasmussen, is also 6’6″ and Sundqvist is 6’3. In other words, this is “The Size line”. The one thing that I think we need to talk about as well is the fact that as far as fourth lines go, this could be one of the best. Rasmussen’s strength, Sundqvist’s IQ and defense, and Soderblom’s size and puck skills, they check off almost all of the boxes. The only thing really missing is speed. However, due to the size, it’s understandable.

So, looking ahead to the end of the season, what should we expect from Soderblom?

Games: 62

Goals: 12

Assists: 7

+/-: -13

Summary Prediction: I can’t imagine too many people rooting against Soderblom. I mean, who doesn’t love a late-round draft pick story. I know I do. But we have to be realistic for the sake of the article and I don’t expect very much. As a fourth-line player, he won’t see enough minutes to make an impact on the offensive side which means limited stats. Additionally, he isn’t a super strong defensive player, he’s just big. It’s for that reason that I think we could see him lose games to other guys until they find a position for him in the top three lines. I expect him to be eventually find himself competing for minutes as an offensive player but I don’t expect much from him on the fourth line.

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