MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses the Red Wings’ competition for spots on the roster, in terms of both younger and older players, this evening:
“I expect and hope the players all recognize — whether it’s Bobby Ryan coming in on a PTO, Givani Smith, Moritz Seider, you name it — they got a lot to play for and have a good training camp and good preseason and then ultimately, once the regular season starts, maintain their role or play an increased role,” [Red Wings GM Steve] Yzerman said. “I am looking forward to watching the new faces and see how the players that have been here respond to the opportunity to get a bigger role and compete with some of the younger players or new faces for those spots.”
Veleno appears furthest ahead among the waiver-exempt players making a push for a roster spot. He made his NHL debut by playing five games at the end of the season.
“Physically, he’s very strong, he’s a strong skater, good puck skills,” Yzerman said. “I thought he was very good in the (Prospects) tournament. I’m excited to see him in preseason. He’s pretty fit, thick. He looks like a guy who physically has been in the league 7-8 years and that’s going to bode well for him.”
Yzerman said Raymond and Berggren, coming over from Sweden and dealing with minor injuries from the Prospects Tournament, need to show they can keep up and be positive contributors. They’re up against it, as Yzerman said they likely will need to be among the top nine forwards and playing significant minutes to start the season in Detroit.
“Both looked good in limited play in the rookie tournament,” Yzerman said. “Hopefully, Jonatan isn’t out too long, and Lucas is able to go with zero restrictions starting (Thursday) and they can get into the drills and show that they’re strong enough, They’re good skaters, but can they play at the pace of the NHL level, adjust to the smaller ice surface?”
