It should come as a shock to no one that the Detroit Red Wings are starved for offense.
After suffering a brutal shutout at the hands of the New York Rangers, the team's second game finally saw the offense come, with Viktor Arvidsson scoring a truly bizarre first goal of the season. Later in the game, Emmitt Finnie came flying down the ice to score his first of the season. Ultimately, the game ended in a 2-3 loss.
The Red Wings are averaging one goal per game across two games -- a small sample size, to be sure, but there's a clear need for offensive production. Currently, it doesn't look like that solution is coming from the outside, given the front office is struggling to sign a player that wanted to be here. The onus, then, falls upon Todd McLellan to craft a solution.
There's one waiting in the wings (no pun intended) that might just work.
A line of Alex DeBrincat, Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard played just 4:04 last night, but, in that short time, the team managed a goal from Finnie. The line's a little out of the box, but out of the box might just be what this team needs to generate some offense.
How each player fits in this new line
Alex DeBrincat is the best offensive threat on the ice. Last season, he led the team in both goals and points. While he has just one assist across two games (from the Finnie goal), he capped off yesterday's game with four shots. The goals will come sooner than later, but, for now, the best thing the Red Wings can do is set him up for success. In order to do so, he needs players that are both crafty and creative.
Enter Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
Finnie, originally drafted as a center, played the majority of last season on the wing. In his few games auditioning at center, though, he performed admirably -- so much so that even McLellan commented on it in yesterday's post-game presser. "Finnie's real valuable," McLellan began. "We're a little short through the center ice position...that's where he was drafted, that's likely where he'll end up playing for us for a long time."
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who finished the night with an ice time of 19:33, ended his evening with an assist and six shots on net. "Tonight I thought was his best game as a Red Wing," McLellan said. "He's a bully, he sticks his nose in, really looks like he's enjoying the game...fantastic."
If McLellan's comments are any indication, it sounds like he's earned the trust of his head coach. It should be safe, then, to assume that we haven't seen the last of Brandsegg-Nygard on the top-six. McLellan's praise for MBN, coupled with his endorsement of Finnie at center, makes the idea of a DeBrincat-Finnie-Brandsegg-Nygard pairing more than just a flash in the pan.
Depending on how the season shakes out, we could see this combination around for a long, long time.
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