The banged up Detroit Red Wings are hanging onto a playoff spot for dear life as they try to reverse the trend of March collapses to make their first playoff appearance since 2016. Yesterday, Detroit got some good news on the injury front: second-line center Andrew Copp is ahead of schedule in his recovery. There's a chance he could be medically cleared to resume playing as soon as tonight's tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.
With Copp potentially back in the middle, roster decisions need to be made. A slew of call ups from the Grand Rapids Griffins have filled out the lineup to plug the holes left by injuries to Copp and captain Dylan Larkin. While he spent time primarily in the NH this season, it's looking increasingly likely that rookie defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka will find his way in Grand R, per Mlive’s Ansar Khan.
#RedWings McLellan: Copp ahead of schedule. If cleared medically today they have decision on when to put him back in the lineup. MBN possible for tomorrow. No changes with Larkin and Rasmussen, evaluated next week. They’re considering sending ASP to @griffinshockey needs to play
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) March 18, 2026
Sandin-Pellikka squeezed out
Axel Sandin-Pellikka has been a healthy scratch ever since the Red Wings traded for Justin Faulk. The rookie blue liner has had impressive stretches in his first NHL campaign, notching 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 63 games, including nine in 15 games in December.
Sandin Pellikka’s fortunes have changed since December, however, as he has just four points in his past 22 games. Beyond the lack of offensive contribution for the 17th overall pick in the 2023 Draft, ASP’s ice time has plummeted. He has logged fewer than 13 minutes 10 times in this stretch after averaging 18:43 on ice in October.
This dwindling, coupled with Detroit's future plans for the defenseman make ASP a prime candidate for being sent to Grand Rapids. A trip to the AHL for the league-leading Griffins will give him an opportunity to round out his game while playing heavy minutes for the team in their Calder Cup chase. Plus, the Griffins will need all the help they can get moving forward. After all, John Leonard, Sheldon Dries, Eduards Tralmaks and Dominik Shine are all with the Red Wings right now.
Detroit has settled in with a top four of Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Justin Faulk and Ben Chiarot. Better still, the Red Wings are getting solid contributions from Albert Johansson and Jacob Bernard-Docker on the third pairing. This, in turn, leaves NHL minutes harder and harder to come by for Sandin-Pellikka.
First thing’s first, the Red Wings need the glimmer of light on Andrew Copp’s recovery to come to fruition to bolster their lineup (and playoff hopes). That said, sending down ASP to get bigger minutes for the Griffins gives him a chance to become a contributor down the stretch. If something clicks with his expanded role in the AHL, the Red Wings can count on his services again soon.