When the Detroit Red Wings claimed Calgary Flames defenseman Andreas Englund off waivers, many fans were confused.
The defense looks all but set, with a final battle occurring over the remaining openings. Between Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Anton Johansson, Jacob Bernard-Docker (now injured) and William Wallinder, the competition looked stiff enough.
Now, with Englund apparently in the picture, the final lineup looks muddier than ever.
Is Englund filling in while Bernard-Docker recovers from injury? Does the team plan on sending their two extremely promising defensemen back down to the AHL? Or is there something else in the works?
Englund, 30, has 200 games and six (seven, if you count the Flames) NHL teams' worth of experience. Last season, he played just three games for the Nashville Predators, failing to score a point in that time. It's hard to imagine what Englund's role will be moving forward, especially considering he may be the roadblock between someone like Anton Johansson making the big leap.
Englund claim could spell worst case scenario
The worst outlook, though, doesn't involve Johansson or Sandin-Pellikka. Rather, it invovles a third defenseman who wants to get back on NHL ice: Simon Edvinsson.
The fact that the Red Wings have yet to sign Edvinsson is borderline malpractice. They've had a long offseason to get this deal done and failed to even start negotiations until two weeks ago when Shawn Horcoff (formally) took the helm. We are just four days away from puck drop and Edvinsson has yet to put pen to paper. An extension should have happened months ago.
If the Red Wings haplessly drag this out into the regular season, Englund very well could be Edvinsson's (temporary) replacement.
Englund reads like a safeguard add a team claims from the waiver wires just in case. This tells us two things about the Red Wings: first, it tells us that the Edvinsson negotiations could potentially drag on. Second, it reveals that the front office doesn't trust Sandin-Pellikka or Johansson to take on that (temporary) role on the top pairing.
In short: the Red Wings would rather put their faith in a guy who hasn't played a full season in four years over either of their promising young defensemen. Is that an indictment on the front office, or is it an indictment on the talent in the prospect pool?
This attitude with prospects is eerily similar to comments Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Johnson made about his time with Steve Yzerman. Rather than allow the prospects to take risks, the Red Wings may very well play it safe and let the kids over ripen in the AHL.
In today's NHL, this is a recipe for failure.
All around the league, young players like Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini and Porter Martone are taking the reins and fighting their way onto roster. This isn't to say that either Sandin-Pellikka or Johansson are on this level -- especially given Sandin-Pellikka's 68 career NHL games already. It's more pointing out that the risk tolerance with Detroit is categorically lower than a team like, say, Montreal or Philadelphia.
Englund could be a non-issue
On the other hand, let's take a more charitable approach and assume he's insurance in case Edvinsson's deal drags out. This is, needless to say, far from an ideal outcome, as well. How long should the Red Wings expect to go without their number two defenseman? Is this just an issue that's sorted out in a couple days? Or is it something that could drag on for weeks?
This front office's communication problems aren't doing the Red Wings any favors, that's for sure.
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