Battle royales to unfold during Detroit Red Wings preseason

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård vs. Carter Mazur

The battle between Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Carter Mazur should be interesting.

Although one is listed as a left and the other a right winger, they both won’t make the opening night lineup in Detroit, Michigan. 

Neither is likely to make their NHL debut to start the season. The path of least resistance seems to be the Detroit Red Wings motto with young players, so Brandsegg-Nygård is likely heading back to Sweden for a season and Mazur to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) for most of (if not all of) the 2024-25 season.

Of the two, Brandsegg-Nygård seems to be the favorite to win a spot. I can’t blame the Detroit Red Wings for slotting Brandsegg-Nygård higher on the totem pole. He’s physically ready for the challenge, but I’m not sure he is ready from a confidence standpoint. He’s a mature, young man, but it’s possible that a season’s detour to the NHL would give him time to build up his confidence. 

Mazur is the opposite, he’s physically not the most ready for the NHL, but has all the confidence a player needs for the NHL. 

The biggest question is in a world where confidence is broken every day and bones are crushed regularly, who makes the team?



Outcome: Neither make the team this season (at least from day one)

Both are too raw to play in the NHL (at least full-time this season much to the dismay of all Detroit Red Wings fans, including myself)

Marco Kasper vs. Nate Danielson

In a similar way to Brandsegg-Nygård and Mazur, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson may have some competition for a possible forward spot in the Detroit Red Wings opening night lineup. 

I think both players are much closer to being NHL-ready than either Brandsegg-Nygård or Mazur. The only downside? The Detroit Red Wings aren’t lacking NHL-level center depth.

Although both players could shift to the wing (and it may serve as an easier transition to the NHL), both the players and the organization seem committed to both Kasper and Danielson breaking into the NHL at the center spot. 

In a perfect world, one or both would slot into the lineup above a guy like Andrew Copp and even Joseph Veleno. 

However, it is not a perfect world and there is still money involved and much-needed center depth for a long season, so it is likeliest that both Kasper and Danielson start the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

This list isn’t meant to be the likeliest of outcomes, though, so let’s throw a hot take out there.

Outcome: Kasper

Kasper is a determined, disciplined, and impactful young man. Head coach Derek Lalonde will be too enchanted with Kasper’s play to allow him to head to the AHL.

Although Kasper is Austrian, he plays like a Swiss army knife. He’s ready for any situation with any amount of time on the clock and his coaches as well as teammates (and fans) will all trust him. He will repay that trust tenfold. He’s going to surprise a lot of folk (or at least those who pay attention to him.)

Albert Johansson vs. anyone not named Moritz Seider or Simon Edvinsson

Albert Johansson, through no fault of his own, has his work cut out for him this season if he wants to see more than the inside of the press box.

It’s not fair that he was dealt this hand. The Detroit Red Wings organization, outside of Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson, let him down. 

You can argue all you want about winning is the most important thing, chasing playoffs that were never meant to be, and the value some old farts looking to send fans into cardiac arrest bring to the table was far more important than Johansson’s development. I won’t buy what you sell, so it’s a waste of everyone’s time. Johansson was robbed.

Before Johansson gets to the starting line to prove his worth to the club that drafted him, he has to hurdle at least Justin Holl (who likely gets the nod as a veteran and right-handed shot defenseman) or Jeff Petry (who is tied to Simon Edvinsson’s ankle, why, I don’t know—Petry’s just a great guy and the coach wants to see him not drown so why not make a rookie defenseman cover up another veteran’s mistakes, I suppose).

Moving up Erik Gustafsson to the second pair wouldn’t be ideal, but having Edvinsson play with him could help cover up any glaring holes in Gustafsson’s game. Also, Edvinsson is better at making plays (both in the offensive and neutral zones than he’s credited with in his tenure) and would provide more than just a stay-at-home defenseman to pair Gustafsson with while allowing Edvinsson to learn more about the offensive side of the game. There is plenty of untapped potential for Edvinsson to unlock and Gustafsson may be just the guy to help bring it out of Edvinsson. 

Bringing up Gustafsson would open the perfect spot in the lineup for Johansson to get comfortable in the NHL and give him the best defense partner a newbie can get in the NHL.

In many ways, Johansson’s game mirrors Olli Määttä. They’re reliable, stable, and give pops of offense at times. Playing a mature game, they rarely leave anyone wondering, “What the heck were you thinking?” 

On a team where players left me asking that very question every five to ten seconds, it would be refreshing to have a pair of defensemen who are there to reel things back in (especially from the second pair who might jump off the deep end from time to time and Lord only knows what Ben Chiarot is feeling on any given shift).

I think Määttä is a great mentor and a perfect fit for Johansson both on and off the ice. 

Johansson is comfortable playing on both sides of the ice. As often as he played on the left side last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Johansson found himself on the right side. He didn’t seem to lose a step. A brilliant mind and above-average skill allow Johansson to play both sides of the ice with ease.

If anyone thinks the Detroit Red Wings are better without Johansson dressing every night, then I implore you to learn who Johansson is and what he brings to the table. He is everything the Detroit Red Wings need on the backend. 

He will have some hiccups along the way, but he’s worth it in the long run and the Detroit Red Wings will be a better team because of Johansson.

These are the battles that I’m most looking forward to, but it’s your turn now. Who are you looking forward to watching battle in the Detroit Red Wings organization.