For the first time in a long time, the Detroit Red Wings have a real defense logjam, and it’s forcing a decision they probably don’t mind making.
The top of the blue line is set. Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson anchor the first pair, while Albert Johansson and veteran Justin Faulk hold down the second. That leaves the third pair as the place where the roster puzzle gets messy, with Ben Chiarot locked in on the left and the right side suddenly wide open.
Jacob Bernard-Docker entered camp as the presumed answer, helped along by the two-year extension he signed this offseason. But the preseason has turned that into a live competition, and four defensemen are pushing for one final spot. One of them is likely to win it, unless a trade changes the picture.
The most eye-catching case belongs to Anton Johansson. Last season, seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie stunned everyone by forcing his way onto the NHL roster.
This year, fourth-round pick Anton Johansson is making a similar run. He has four assists in two preseason games, all of them coming in the 7-4 rout of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He logged 20:31 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and then followed that with 22:27 against Pittsburgh. Only Justin Faulk played more than Johansson against the Penguins, which says plenty about how much trust he’s earning and how well he’s using it.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka is also in the mix, and he’s trying to show that last season was just part of the learning curve. The 2023 first-round pick played 68 games in his rookie season for the Red Wings, posting 21 points, but his defensive mistakes piled up as the year went on and eventually sent him to the AHL.
This preseason, he has one goal so far, and the bigger story is that the rough edges seem a little less jagged. He still takes chances in his own end, and the occasional costly mistake can still show up, but those errors aren’t happening with the same frequency they did last season.
There’s little doubt he’ll play NHL games this season; the real question is when.
William Wallinder sits in a different spot entirely. At 24, he has still never played an NHL game, and while Detroit has been patient with its prospects, that patience can only stretch so far.
The late-blooming route is possible - Martin St. Louis didn’t make an NHL roster until he was 25, and Chris Chelios started late too - but those are the exceptions, not the rule.
Of the four players in this battle, Wallinder has the longest odds. Johansson looks NHL-ready, Sandin-Pellikka already has NHL experience, and Bernard-Docker has both the roster spot and the contract edge.
What Wallinder does have is urgency. He is waiver eligible, which means Detroit could lose him for nothing if it moves on.
With two preseason games left, he has to separate himself or risk becoming a waiver casualty.
That’s what makes Bernard-Docker worth watching too. Young players are easy to get excited about, but the incumbent still has the cleanest path to staying put.
Sandin-Pellikka and Anton Johansson are both waiver ineligible, so the Red Wings can send them down without worrying about another team claiming them. That gives Detroit flexibility, and it gives interim GM Shawn Horcoff a chance to make a competitive call if he wants to.
For now, though, Bernard-Docker remains the default choice unless one of the challengers clearly outplays him. If the kids are ready, the Red Wings can let them win the job. If they’re not, the veteran route is still sitting right there.
Rosters are due in four days, and this is one of the most important battles left to settle.
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The debate has only grown louder because the response from around the game has not been uniform. Mark Messier publicly voiced deep concern over the decision, while ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro took a more measured view, pointing out that Babcock has always coached with a direct, demanding approach and that Edmonton knows the profile it is choosing. For a franchise trying to settle its direction, the hiring has become about more than tactics or systems - it is also about whether the Oilers are comfortable with everything that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]