Duff discusses the Red Wings’ ‘Bubble Boys’ at forward

With an hour and 40 minutes to go before the Red Wings must submit their opening night roster to the NHL, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff penned a subscriber-only article discussing the shape of the Wings’ roster as he sees it shaping up to become, with four question marks–Lucas Raymond, Joe Veleno, Carter Rowney and Givani Smith’s respective statuses:

Lucas Raymond

Pros: Arriving with plenty of hype, Lucas Raymond has been delivering the goods. He ended up finishing the preseason as the Red Wings’ top scorer with six points. He’s made an impact, made the team better, which was what coach Jeff Blashill was demanding of Raymond when training camp opened.

Cons: There just don’t seem to be any that suggest sending Raymond down at this moment is the best option. At Monday’s practice, he was skating with Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi on the top line. “Right away I knew he was a special player,” Larkin said of Raymond. “He thinks the game, has great hands and can skate. He always looked like a good player. Then I saw him on the ice in training camp and he’s a smart player. I think he thinks at a different level.”

Joe Veleno

Pros: Veleno has significantly upped his strength level. Weighing in at 206 pounds, he’s certainly ready to compete physically at the NHL level. Veleno is also displaying a level of defensive responsibility that will make him a useful NHLer.

Cons: The same questions being asked today about Veleno, hockey people were asking about him three years ago when he was selected by Detroit in the NHL entry draft. Can he produce enough offense to be a top-six or top-nine NHL forward? The team needs to find this out. “That’s a huge part of the decision, even beyond my call,” Blashill admitted.

Continued (paywall), and the last quote about Veleno is very telling…