The Detroit Red Wings recently sent Nate Danielson back to Grand Rapids, and it couldn't have been a better move. They called up John Leonard, a seasoned veteran who returned to the lineup on Monday prior to the Red Wings' win over the Ottawa Senators.
With Leonard in the lineup, the Wings are 6-2, and the veteran presence he gives in the bottom six is what the Wings need more of if they are serious about making a playoff run. Players like Nate Danielson (28 games) and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (9 games) are the future. But neither one of them will help the Wings punch their ticket into the playoffs.
General manager Steve Yzerman is insistent on seeing his rebuilding process through, given his conservative approach in the offseason and the previous two trade deadlines. He wants to gauge his young players, but with the Red Wings as one of the top three teams in the Atlantic Division with 54 points in 44 games, it's time to find leaders who have experience making deep playoff runs.
Red Wings rookies predictably haven't contributed much this season
Emmitt Finnie has been the best first-year player in Hockeytown with 19 points and nine goals in 44 games. He has primarily played in a top-six role and brings energy, but he has a minus-6 rating and a below-average 48.9 Corsi-For percentage at even strength.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka has similar Corsi-For numbers, four goals, 15 points, and an ugly minus-18 rating. His on-ice shooting percentage at even strength is 6.9 percent, and 54.5 percent of his starts have come in the offensive zone. It's clear that the Wings haven't created many opportunities when Sandin-Pellikka is on the ice., and he's another one who would fare better with seasoning in Grand Rapids.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard had just one point and a minus-5 in nine games before the Wings sent him to Grand Rapids. Meanwhile, Danielson started his tenure in Detroit well with six points in his first 15 games, before putting up just one point in his next 13 contests. He had just two goals and seven points across 28 contests.
If this were still the 2022-23 season and the Red Wings were still far from being a playoff contender, then you play these guys without giving it a second thought, despite the growing pains. In 2025-26, when you're facing a decade-long playoff drought, and you have a legitimate chance to end it, you can't rely on rookies.
Steve Yzerman needs to start working the phones now
The Red Wings have looked good through 44 games without a lineup of solid veteran skaters making deep playoff runs outside of Patrick Kane, Ben Chiarot, and James van Riemsdyk. J.T. Compher won a Cup with Colorado, but he has yet to live up to expectations.
The issues with Kane, van Riemsdyk, and Chiarot are that they are in their mid-to-late thirties and past their respective primes. There is hardly a Red Wings veteran out there in their prime with playoff experience, and that's what they need if they want to earn a trip to the postseason this year.
Yzerman must start inquiring about veterans who can come in and immediately contribute, and to make room for them, it would be wise to send someone like Sandin-Pellikka down to Grand Rapids, or even Emmitt Finnie. If it meant giving the rookies more experience at the AHL level, then send them down, bring in more veterans, and do all you can to make a deep playoff run.