The Red Wings have started trimming the roster, and the first wave of cuts says plenty about where camp stands now.
Detroit waived six players today, according to Puckpedia: Jacob Bryson, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, William Lagesson, John Leonard and Dominik Shine. The list is heavy on Grand Rapids depth, which makes the moves easy to read as the preseason clock keeps ticking down.
That shortened preseason matters here. With only four games instead of seven, the Red Wings have less time to sort through the group and make calls, so the early cuts are arriving sooner than they used to. Just as important, these moves point to something else: Detroit is giving its prospects a longer runway.
The blue line battle is still alive, but it just got a little narrower. The top of the defense looks set, with Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson on the first pair and Albert Johansson taking Ben Chiarot’s place next to Justin Faulk. That leaves Chiarot on the bottom pair, where the open spot once held by Jacob Bernard-Docker is still up for grabs.
Bryson and Butler were in that mix, and now they’re out. The remaining names in the fight are William Wallinder, Anton Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Bernard-Docker.
Bernard-Docker has two more seasons left on his contract. Wallinder, 24, is waiver ineligible. Johansson and Sandin-Pellikka can be sent to Grand Rapids without worrying about waiver claims.
Even so, there’s no guarantee either of those two is headed down just because they can be. Both have already made their case this preseason, and one of them looks close to breaking through.
Up front, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is the prospect standing out most right now. He made the opening night roster last season, then was sent back after nine NHL games. He returned late in the year to help on the bottom six, but the usage never really fit.
This year feels different for him. He’s another year older, he’s had a full offseason to prepare and he looks more confident.
Just as importantly, the attention isn’t all on him this time. That gives Brandsegg-Nygard a chance to prove he belongs without carrying the weight of being the rookie everyone is watching.
And he’s not the only young forward with a shot. Carter Bear and Theo Rochette also have a path to making a roster that still looks fairly open. More surprises could be coming quickly over the next few days.
In Other News...
Red Wings Just Got An Early Injury Watch In Columbus
A preseason tuneup in Columbus brought an early injury note for a Blue Jackets defense group that could matter to the Red Wings once the games start counting. Dante Fabbro, projected to open the regular season on the third pairing, was knocked out of the game with an upper-body injury and did not return, adding a little uncertainty to a blue line that is still sorting itself out before opening night.
For Detroit, it is the sort of roster wrinkle worth watching because it can affect how Columbus lines up in division play. If Fabbro is sidelined, veteran Erik Gudbranson is the most likely option to step in, which would give the Blue Jackets a different look on the back end while they wait for more clarity on Fabbros status. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Have One Wild Shot To Fix Their Center Problem
Detroits search for help down the middle has already turned into one of the more interesting roster questions of the preseason, and one possible answer sits in the restricted free-agent market. The Red Wings have been casting around for ways to bolster their center depth, and the idea of taking a big swing on a young, high-end talent has come into view as the kind of aggressive move that can change the look of a lineup in a hurry.
The appeal is obvious: a player with top-line upside would immediately address a need that has lingered for Detroit, even if the path to getting him is loaded with risk and complications under the NHLs collective bargaining agreement. Any offer-sheet pursuit would be the sort of cap-and-picks gamble that forces a team to weigh the long-term cost against the chance to land a difference-making center now, which is why this kind of possibility tends to linger until the final moment before the window closes. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Got One Encouraging Sign In A Frustrating Debut
Detroit had one clear bright spot in a frustrating preseason opener, and it came from the newest face in net. Daniil Tarasov was sharp from the start against the Columbus Blue Jackets, stopping all 15 shots he faced in his first preseason game for the Red Wings. Michal Postava took over in the third period and overtime and added 10 more saves, giving Detroit a steady night in goal even as the rest of the game stayed stuck in a grind.
The problem for the Red Wings was that the scoreboard never moved their way. They could not solve Columbus in regulation, then came up empty in the shootout as the game slipped away in a 1-0 finish. For a team looking to set an early tone, the goaltending offered encouragement, but the lack of finishing left plenty of room for concern. [Read more 🡒]