The Detroit Red Wings got a lot younger as the preseason concluded, and it kickstarted the Yzerplan into its next phase. With Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson heading to Grand Rapids, it means Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Emmitt Finnie were all but locks to join the big club.
While there's some risk involved, especially with how much limited experience in North America Brandsegg-Nygard and Sandin-Pellikka have, Steve Yzerman wouldn't have promoted them if he didn't think it gave the Wings the absolute best chance to win and make the playoffs this season.
And the Wings need a counter to rivals like the Montreal Canadiens, where Ivan Demidov completes their top six, giving the Habs a well-rounded core that's one of the NHL's best. So, with Brandsegg-Nygard and Sandin-Pellikka in Hockeytown, the Wings can respond with double trouble, should both rookies keep up their high-octane play.
Brandsegg-Nygard was a scoring machine in the preseason, with four goals and seven points, giving him a point-per-game pace in the preseason. Meanwhile, Sandin-Pellikka, at times, looked like the only Wings blueliner outside the projected top four who wanted to be in town.
3 Red Wings rookies more than deserved a spot with the big club
While Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson looked like AHL-caliber talent, Brandsegg-Nygard and Sandin-Pellikka weren't the only two who made shockwaves in Hockeytown. Emmitt Finnie, drafted with the 201st pick in 2023, played like every shift was his last. And in many ways, when you're a seventh-round pick, few in the front office have you pegged into their long-term plans, so you no choice but to make every single opportunity count.
Dating back to the Rookie Showcase, Finnie was one of the fastest skaters out there, he constantly crashed the net, and found ways to give his linemates chances if he couldn't create one for himself. You never would have guessed he was such a late-round pick, since he looked, at times, the best player on the ice.
Really, it forced Yzerman to most likely ask this burning question: "If we couldn't win with Holl and Gustafsson in the lineup last season and the kids look ready, why delay this any longer?" There is risk involved, but right now, Yzerman needed to put the best 23 players in the organization onto the NHL ice, and Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka were in that club.
As the regular season is about to arrive, the new challenge is if this trio can adhere to the physical and mental demands that an 82-game slate brings. It's no longer the preseason, so there is far fewer experimentation going on with lineups and strategies. Opposing teams will bring all they have and maybe even more, so if Finnie, Brandsegg-Nygard, and Sandin-Pellikka understand that, they'll be fine. Right now, there is no reason to count them out.