This offseason, I wrote about how important this early leg of the season would be for Nate Danielson's NHL hopes. The former first rounder finally had his big break with the Detroit Red Wings, fighting through injury and inconsistency to earn a spot on the roster.
Since then, Danielson has played in nine games, scoring just two assists.
Danielson has been a healthy scratch in two games thus far. Worse yet, he's averaging just 10:30 a night. While he's been deployed primarily on the fourth line, he's had a few brief auditions on a top line with Alex DeBrincat. Between his low 6.5% shooting, his 45.1% faceoff win chances and his lack of production, it might be time to have a difficult conversation about Nate Danielson.
At 22 years of age, Danielson hasn't done much to impress at the NHL level.
If this trend continues, the Red Wings will likely send him back to the AHL to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins. For a first round pick - a player selected ninth overall, at that - this is far from an encouraging sign.
If the Red Wings do send Danielson down, it means they're preparing for a future without him in it.
Not the end of Nate Danielson yet
If Danielson is sent down to Grand Rapids, it doesn't mean any hopes of him becoming an NHL regular should be discarded. There are plenty of examples of NHLers blooming at later years. Look at William Wallinder, for example. Some (myself included) once thought he'd be an afterthought with this lineup. Since opening night, he's proved the doubters wrong, securing three points in six games. While a small sample size, Wallinder, 24, has proven that progress is not linear.
Perhaps the same can be said of Danielson.
Not every player develops along the same trajectory. There's always a chance that Danielson winds up becoming a solid NHLer once he gets a little more adjusted to the pace of the league. After all, he's just coming off an injury from the season prior.
The biggest problem Danielson faces, however, is something that isn't entirely in his control.
Danielson may be the odd man out
Once Mason Appleton and Marco Kasper return from injury, the Red Wings have a series of decisions they'll need to make. The team is currently over the 23-man roster limit and, once Kasper and Appleton are back, two players will need reassignment or to hit waivers in order to make the roster compliant. If Danielson can't turn a corner soon, he might find himself on the other end of waivers.
And that isn't even accounting for Simon Edvinsson, who (hopefully) will be on his way back soon.
The most likely candidates for reassignment (or waivers) are Carter Mazur, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Andreas Englund. While Englund has played a few games since the Red Wings claiemd him, it's safe to assume he's a stopgap defenseman until Edvinsson eventually signs (or is traded to another team). Mazur plays the fewest average minutes per skaters on the Red Wings, playing an average of just 9:49 a night.
If Danielson wants to keep his NHL hopes alive, his urgency needs to be more apparent than ever during his next game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google