As the preseason goes on for the Detroit Red Wings, so go the roster cuts.
The first round of roster cuts began today, with the lions' share of the roster cuts coming from the Grand Rapids Griffins end of things. Here are the players that have been waived today, according to Puckpedia:
- Jacob Bryson
- Cameron Butler
- Sheldon Dries
- William Lagesson
- John Leonard
- Dominik Shine
None of these cuts should come as much of a surprise. Leonard, Dries, Lagesson and Shine make up the veterans of Grand Rapids, with newcomers Butler and Bryson following along. These early cuts should signal two things: first, that the regular season is approaching at a much faster rate than it ever has in the past. Truncating the preseason down to four games instead of seven means that decisions have to be made much quicker, thus bringing about the early cuts.
But the second (and far more intriguing) proposition is that the Red Wings are taking an extended look at their prospects.
Defensemen getting extra playing time
One major dilemma the Red Wings will face with their opening night lineup lies within their bottom pair. As of right now, the top-four pairings look set in stone. Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson headline the top pair, with Albert Johansson usurping Ben Chiarot's spot alongside Justin Faulk. This, in turn, leaves Chiarot on the bottom pairing, with the spot once occupied by Jacob Bernard-Docker now up for grabs.
Two would-be contenders for the spot - Jacob Bryson and Cameron Butler - have now been eliminated from the competition. The remaining players fighting for the spot are William Wallinder, Anton Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jacob Bernard-Docker.
Of the four remaining, Bernard-Docker is under contract for the next two seasons, while Wallinder, 24, is waiver ineligible. Both Johansson and Sandin-Pellikka can be sent down to Grand Rapids without fear of waiver claims.
But, with that said, there's no guarantee they're sent down just for safety's sake. Both have already shown their stuff this preseason. It's only a matter of time until one of them breaks through.
Young forwards have great opportunity
On the offensie end of things, it looks like one young player is standing out from the rest: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. Brandsegg-Nygard made the opening night roster last season, but was sent down after just nine games at the NHL level. He was later called up near the end of the year to fill in on the bottom-six, but was deployed in a frustrating manner.
This time around, things are different. Brandsegg-Nygard is a year older. He's had an offseason to train. He's more confident than he was in the past. This time around, the spotlight is elsewhere. He can use this opportunity to show he's an NHLer without the pressure of performing as a rookie.
Other forwards like Carter Bear and Theo Rochette have a chance to crack a relatively weak roster, as well. There should be no shortage of surprises over the coming days.
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