Well, tonight's the night. We're about to see the Detroit Red Wings in action for real. Not in a Rookie Showcase or an intersquad scrimmage. While the game won't count, this one and those that follow mean a lot to players like Elmer Soderblom.
Take fringe lineup guys like Justin Holl and Jacob Bernard-Docker. But players like Soderblom who, barring an unforeseen meltdown, will find a place with the big club, could be in for something bigger following an impeccable showing at the Red & White Game a few days back.
In case you need a refresher, Soderblom put up two goals and looked like a brewing star, something rare for such a late draft pick in the Steve Yzerman era. Still, sooner than later, Yzerman was gonna get a ringer, and he might have one in the 2019 sixth-round pick. A player often destined for organizational depth, but that's obviously not the case.
Elmer Soderblom's gonna be one Red Wings forward to watch
Some of you have visions of Nate Danielson making the leap this season and I get it. Danielson was a high draft pick, he's played well, and his draft position would typically put him at a higher priority than Soderblom.
But they're both young players, and Steve Yzerman, once preseason's in the books, must roll with a player he knows will best serve the team. Right now, all signs point to Soderblom, but if he's gonna give skeptics reassurance, then he must keep the pedal to the floor.
That said, he doesn't need to be an all-out scorer to make an impact with the Red Wings big club. If Soderblom can bring the edge we've seen from him when he's been healthy in regular season games, then I like what he brings. Scoring just adds to the reasons why he should be in Hockeytown.
Who's Soderblom looking to fend off?
For fun, I'll inject Nate Danielson since hey, you never know. You always get a youngster or two skating in as the training camp sensation, and Danielson's got the talent and productivity to match. But will it translate against NHL talent?
Then there's Jonatan Berggren, who made his case for the first line late last season. Berggren's not somebody who'll play well if he's not surrounded by talent. But if you give him a couple of franchise cornerstones, another version of him emerges.
James van Riemsdyk's the insurance policy. Should Soderblom fall off, Danielson shows he's still not ready for the NHL, and Berggren regresses into being Berggren, then the Wings have a veteran to fall back on. But as you also know, I'd rather that not happen.