The start to the season has been nothing short of unusual for Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
After making the roster out of camp, he's done a timeshare on defense alongside William Wallinder, with the two swapping in and out of the same defensive spot every other game. Through the early leg of the season, it seemed that Sandin-Pellikka was quickly becoming an afterthought on defense.
Everything changed last night, when Sandin-Pellikka played 14:35 -- his highest ice time in several games thus far.
The defenseman has been on something of an ascendance over his last two starts, playing a key role in stifling scoring attempts from the Philadelphia Flyers and shutting down the Kraken on two separate attempts. This last game showed that he's more than deserving of more ice time and that he can be trusted as a legitimate NHL defender.
How Sandin-Pellikka has performed so far
Looking at Sandin-Pellikka's numbers on paper might leave you confused. He has yet to score a point this season and, based on his ice time (and games as a healthy scratch), you wouldn't be faulted for underestimating him.
This is what his deployment has looked like so far:
Game | ATOI |
|---|---|
Oct. 2 (vs. NYR) | 16:27 |
Oct. 4 (vs. WPG) | 15:37 |
Oct. 6 (vs. OTT) | 11:27 |
Oct. 10 (vs. MTL) | 8:50 |
Oct. 13 (vs. NJD) | 14:18 |
Oct. 15 (vs. PHI) | 7:41 |
Oct. 20 (vs. SEA) | 14:35 |
Inconsistent ice time rarely translates into success. It shouldn't be a surprise that Sandin-Pellikka has failed to produce much offensively, considering how little he's played in many of his starts. It's even harder to produce when you're playing every other game. In a sense, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: Sandin-Pellikka isn't producing because he isn't playing enough, and because he isn't producing, he isn't earning enough ice time.
His performance Tuesday should rectify that.
How the Red Wings will have to adjust
The toughest thing moving forward for the Red Wings will be adjustments needed to the lineup. Sooner or later, J.T. Compher, Mason Appleton and Marco Kasper will return from their injuries. Don't count out Simon Edvinsson's return, either -- according to Pierre LeBrun, Edvinsson and interim GM Shawn Horcoff met earlier this week.
As it stands, the Red Wings' active roster sits at 25, with Kasper, Appleton and Compher not counting against the team. In short: the Red Wings will need to either waive or reassign two players in order to keep the roster compliant. Once Edvinsson comes back, they'll need to send another player down.
Of the likely candidates, Andreas Englund, the player the Red Wings brought in as a stopgap for Edvinsson, seems like the first choice. Beyond him, they'll need to make some difficult choices regarding waiver claims. The next battle will likely come down to Carter Mazur or Mason Appleton for that final fourth line forward spot, followed by another defenseman getting waived or reassigned.
Once Edvinsson is back, everything will come down to what happens between Wallinder and Sandin-Pellikka. While Sandin-Pellikka is waiver ineligible, he's played better in recent games than Wallinder, whose giveaway resulted in a clean goal for the San Jose Sharks.
The next few games before Edvinsson's return will be imperative for both Sandin-Pellikka and Wallinder's NHL hopes. It's up to one (or both) of them to separate themselves from the pack.
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