The Hockey News’s Jacob Stoller asks a “lingering lineup question” for the Eastern Conference’s 16 teams today. Here’s his question regarding the Red Wings:
Detroit Red Wings: Who Does Alex DeBrincat Play With?
For Alex DeBrincat to be a 35- to 40-goal scorer, he needs linemates who can tee him up for one-timers. That’s his bread and butter. While it seems like a foregone conclusion that DeBrincat starts the season on Dylan Larkin’s wing, the real question is who will accompany those two. The knee-jerk reaction would be to assume it’d be Lucas Raymond or David Perron, although Wings coach Derek Lalonde may opt to have them on the second line to spread things out. Keep an eye out on sophomore forward Jonatan Berggren – he could complement DeBrincat quite well if he takes a step forward this upcoming year. The 23-year-old Swede is an elite passer who possesses the type of top-notch vision required to feed a talent like DeBrincat in prime scoring areas.
Continued; “Johnny Burgers” makes some sense as a top-line catalyst.
