Tonight, the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan discusses the Red Wings’ depth chart on defense, following up on his examination of the Wings’ goaltending situation.
The normal accolades follow the Wings’ top pairing…
▶ [Moritz] Seider: With Dylan Larkin’s request of a trade, and his status for training camp cloudy, there’s a possibility the Wings could strip him of the captaincy and give it to Seider. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Seider become a finalist for the Norris Trophy this season if he’s healthy.
▶ [Simon] Edvinsson: The Wings don’t have a GM currently, so it’s understandable there hasn’t been a contract reached with Edvinsson, who is likely to earn himself a significant raise given the salary jump around the league. The 23-year-old set career highs for goals (nine), plus-minus rating (plus-12), ice time (22:21) and shots (88), among others. With Edvinsson and Seider, the Wings have an imposing pairing for the next decade, at least.
But things get a little more intriguing when Kulfan assesses the Wings’ 3rd-pair stalwart, Albert Johansson…
▶ Albert Johansson: Johansson, 25, played all 82 games and was a steadying influence on the third pairing. He cut down on his turnovers, showed shot-blocking ability (61 blocks) and had 23 takeaways. Still, the minus-18 rating needs to improve, and Johansson has the offensive ability to do more than his three goals and 11 points. Johansson needs to keep improving given the depth of the Wings’ defense.
And he offers takes on two defensemen who will be in the running for the 7th/8th defenseman’s spot:
▶ Jacob Bryson: Signed as a free agent, Bryson had two goals and eight points splitting last season between Buffalo and Winnipeg. Bryson will be in the mix for playing time on the third pairing and gives McLellan another option as an efficient puck mover who can make crisp outlet passes and plays with speed. His size (5-foot-9, 177 pounds) can be a detriment defensively.
▶ William Wallinder: Wallinder, 24, is out of minor league options and can be exposed to waivers if he’s not on the NHL roster. The Wings likely aren’t going to risk that. Wallinder (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) had a career high 20 points in Grand Rapids, was a plus-21 and has improved each of his three seasons in the minor leagues.
Continued (paywall) with 4 more profiles…
