Normally, training camp line combos are the kind of thing you glance at and then forget by lunch. Not this year in Detroit.
With the preseason compressed and the regular season only two weeks from camp opening, the Red Wings are treating every shift like it matters. Coach Todd McLellan made that clear Friday when he said, “A week from today, we will have done three [preseason] games and have one more dress rehearsal, and season starts,” McLellan said on Friday. “That’s quick.”
That urgency has pushed chemistry to the front of the conversation, and a few forward combinations are starting to stand out.
One of the cleaner-looking possibilities has newcomer Keegan Kolesar lining up with JT Compher and Michael Rasmussen. On paper, that has the feel of a sturdy fourth line, the kind that can do a lot of the dirty work without needing the spotlight.
Another group worth watching has Andrew Copp between Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. With Dylan Larkin injured, Copp looks like the stand-in on what would be Detroit’s top forward unit.
The most interesting look, though, might be Marco Kasper centering Emmitt Finnie and Viktor Arvidsson. McLellan coached Arvidsson in Los Angeles, and he explained Friday how that history helped him picture a fit for the veteran winger.
“Well, that line, when we sat and talked about it, we were wondering, ‘Okay, where are we going to play Arvy?’ And I thought back to his best days in LA with us. Who did he play with?
“Well, he played with Trevor Moore and Phil Danault. Trevor Moore was quick.
He has a tenacity to him, and he could turn pucks over [much like] Emmitt Finnie. Phil Danault scored 27 goals that year, and we want Kasp to produce more, but Kasp is pretty responsible.
He plays two ways, and then Arvi fits the group.”
That doesn’t mean Detroit has settled anything yet. McLellan knows better than anyone that NHL line combinations can change fast.
But with so little time before the season starts, these camp looks feel more meaningful than they usually do. In a shortened preseason, the Wings don’t have much room to experiment forever.
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