Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen posted a comprehensive list of power rankings, ranking the Red Wings 29th despite offering the following assessment of the Wings’ roster situation…
29. Detroit Red Wings
Key additions: Pius Suter, Mitchell Stephens, Nick Leddy, Alex Nedeljkovic
Key subtractions: Valtteri Filppula, Bobby Ryan, Darren Helm, Jonathan Bernier
This training camp is all about the kids. What do we see from Moritz Seider and can he force his way on to the roster? How long can Lucas Raymond hang around camp and how close is he to NHL ready? Everyone knows what this Wings team is all about, but while more losing is expected in the short-term, you still want to see bounce backs from Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi as they return from injuries, a step up from Filip Zadina, and more of the same from Jakub Vrana, who was a point per game player after being acquired at the trade deadline.
Continued; and the Hockey News’s Matt Larkin offers this take on the Red Wings’ “Stanley Cup Window”:
REBUILDING
(Laying foundation for the future, not interested in pursuing a Cup right now)
Detroit Red WingsSteve Yzerman continues to slow-play things. Trading for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was a long-term move, just like last season’s Jakub Vrana trade was, and even this past summer’s Nick Leddy trade meant bringing in a veteran with an expiring deal and trade-deadline value. We should see mega-prospect defenseman Moritz Seider in the NHL this year, and maybe left winger Lucas Raymond as well, but the Wings still don’t appear to be in any rush. The 2022 and 2023 draft classes are just too tempting. If you’re rebuilding now, you might as well lay low one more year to get a crack at a lottery selection in one of those classes.
