The Detroit Red Wings, by all accounts, are doing perfectly fine.
They sit with a 5-4-3 record on the season thus far -- nothing too impressive, but nothing concerning just yet. The biggest situation they have to monitor (save for trade requests and surging young netminders) is their goal differential. The Red Wings currently hold a -4 differential; it's the fourth-worst in the division behind the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres.
While the top-six has performed well in its own right, the bottom-six continues to fail to meet expectations. The combined efforts of Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen, Keegan Kolesar, Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson have resulted in just 11 points.
For perspective, Alex DeBrincat's total offense this season, with 13 points in 12 games, outweighs the combined efforts of the entire bottom-six.
In order to rectify this, the Wings have a few options: they can make trades, rearrange the lineup or call players up from Grand Rapids to bolster the offense.
Fortunately, there's a player waiting in the wings (no pun intended)
Jesse Kiiskinen might be the answer
Of all the breakout players in the Red Wings' system this year, no bigger surprise exists than Jesse Kiiskinen.
Back in 2024, the Red Wings acquired the Finnish forward and a second round pick from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Andrew Gibson. Kiiskinen's season last year was a tad underwhelming, with the forward securing just 28 points in 54 games with HPK in the Finnish Liiga.
All that changed the moment he hit North American ice.
This season, Kiiskinen has exploded, erupting in a point-per-game start in the AHL. In 10 games, he has four goals and six assists, good for the lead among all Griffins skaters. What's especially exciting about Kiiskinen's start is that he's doing this all while playing primarily on the third line.
His style seems to be an ideal fit for North American ice, where he can combine his tenacity with dogged determination to outwork his opposition. It seems as if he gets hungrier every shift and shows little to no signs of slowing down.
He brings that Michael Brandsegg-Nygard-esque gear that the bottom-six is lacking. While it's typically in place with Marco Kasper, the forward's injury has thus hampered the bottom-six's ability to stay motivated in their own end.
That's what makes Kiiskinen such a valuable asset for the Wings.
Red Wings will need to make tough choices with their lineup
That said, the Red Wings already have a series of difficult choices on their hands, starting with the fates of two forwards once Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are back from injury. Carter Mazur's lack of playing time suggests that he's among the first on the chopping block, but the Red Wings have to figure out the fate of Nate Danielson or another forward once both skaters return.
With that said, who is the odd man out if the Red Wings decide to call up Kiiskinen?
Keegan Kolesar has thus far delivered with hits and fights, but doesn't provide a whole lot else. The Red Wings will almost certainly keep Copp and Compher due to their shallow depth at center. This leaves Michael Rasmussen, an often-maligned, often-inconsistent forward who has earned an extensive audition on the power play.
It's likely that Kiiskinen is one of the top call-up options for Detroit in the event of another injury. Having said that, if the team truly wants to reform their abysmal bottom-six, the best starting point is bringing up a player with the hunger Kiiskinen has.
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