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)