The Red Wings will engage in their third and final training camp scrimmage via tonight’s Red vs. White Game (7 PM EST on DetroitRedWings.com), and the final tune-up before the regular season begins on Thursday and Saturday vs. Carolina.
My hopes for tonight are to see the Wings’ secondary and tertiary scorers (i.e. the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines) step up, to see the pace of play continue to increase, and to witness sharper and crisper execution in terms of passing, shooting and systems play.
I’m not quite as concerned about individual players displaying improved play as I am concerned about witnessing some cohesion start to develop as the Wings ride the fine line between attempting to replicate game pace while also attempting to not injure their teammates by attacking each other with 100% regular season level physicality. It wouldn’t hurt if one or two of the Wings’ prospects take a step forward, either, though it’s highly likely that players like Michael Rasmussen, Dennis Cholowski, Gustav Lindstrom, Givani Smith and Evgeny Svechnikov will begin their 20-21 campaigns on the “taxi squad.”
After tonight’s game, the Red Wings will engage in one final set of hour-and-thirty-minute practices for the Red and White teams on Monday; it’s safe to assume that a fair crop of the team’s AHL players (see: Dominic Turgeon, Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo, Turner Elson, the aforementioned Svechnikov, Joe Hicketts, Brian Lashoff, Dylan McIlrath, Kevin Boyle, Kaden Fulcher and Pat Nagle) will be placed on waivers so they can be assigned to either the “taxi squad” or the AHL on Monday; and Tuesday is the team’s final “off day” before the regular season begins.
If I were a betting man, I’d suggest that the team will name its captain and alternate captains on Wednesday (a practice day) or Thursday (the day of the home opener vs. Carolina).
What are your expectations for the scrimmage tonight? What do you want to see occur, and who do you want to step up as training camp begins to wind down?
