DobberHockey’s Michael Clifford discusses a set of “training camp battles” to watch for this upcoming training camp and preseason, and he suggests that the Red Wings’ power play may require some competition for the “fourth forward’s” spot on the top unit:
Detroit Fourth PP Forward
In Detroit, we are assuming that all of Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, David Perron, and Moritz Seider are on the top power play. With all the offseason acquisitions and injury returns, the team has a lot of options for that fourth forward. They have Jakub Vrana, who is second in the entire league in goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 over the last four years, coming off a year where he missed over 50 games with a shoulder injury. They also have Lucas Raymond, who is coming off a 23-goal, 57-point rookie season where he was a fixture of the top power play. Andrew Copp has limited power play experience but is an option if they want two centres up there. Finally, there’s Robby Fabbri, who had an ACL surgery last March and whose status for training camp is uncertain but has seen top PP time for the Wings. (If anyone has seen an update, let us know in the comments, but I haven’t seen anything yet.) Derek Lalonde is the new coach, and he doesn’t have the same history with the players, so it’s not a guarantee that Raymond is the fourth forward. My lean is that he gets the spot as the incumbent, but there is no certainty. Exhibition games will help clarify things in this regard.
Continued; Fabbri will be out to start the season, and yes, Raymond and Vrana will battle for that last forward’s spot on the top unit.
