DobberHockey’s Brennan Des discusses “internal battles for power play opportunities” this morning, and Des suggests that the Red Wings might struggle to determine whether Erik Gustafsson runs the power play, or Moritz Seider does:
Detroit Red Wings – Gustafsson vs. Seider vs. Edvinsson
Given their similar offensively focused skillsets, it’s hard to see Erik Gustafsson as anything other than a Shayne Gostisbehere replacement. Considering Gostisbehere’s main role with Detroit last year was quarterbacking the top power play, it’s only logical that Gustafsson fills that role this year. Some will rightfully question Gus’ competence in such a role considering he’s only really had one standout season and that was roughly five years ago. However, I’m encouraged by the fact that two players who were part of that 60-point campaign in Chicago – Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat – are now with Gustafsson in Detroit. Moritz Seider is certainly capable of stepping up to the top unit if Gustafsson falters, but given Seider’s all-round excellence, it would be nice if someone else could manage power-play minutes so he’s fresh for other situations. It’s worth noting that when comparing career numbers, despite having 300 more power-play minutes under his belt, Gustafsson only has 11 more PPPs than Seider. Simon Edvinsson has offensive upside and could see top unit power-play time at some point in his career, but he’s only 25 games into his NHL career and has just four points to his name. He’ll need some more time to settle in before taking on such a high-profile role.
I don’t see Edvinsson getting a whole lot of power play time unless someone suffers an injury; Seider usually works the 2nd power play unit, so there’s that, but the theory is that it’s going to be Gustafsson’s blueline on the man advantage.
