So the Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Friday, preparing for Saturday’s exhibition finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 PM EDT start on Detroit SportsNet and WWJ 950) with what was essentially an NHL lineup.
Dylan Larkin (upper-body injury) and Jacob Bernard-Docker (upper-body injury) won’t be playing on Saturday, with JBD missing practice due to his ailment. Simon Edvinsson also can’t play as he’s not yet signed to a contract, so most of the hubbub surrounding the team involves whether Axel Sandin Pellikka or Anton Johansson can unseat a veteran and earn a regular spot on the blueline…
Coach Todd McLellan and forward Mason Appleton spoke with the media about the shape of the Wings’ forward lines, too, as the Free Press’s Helene St. James noted:
As with the defense, where Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson (pending a new contract), Ben Chiarot, Justin Faulk and Albert Johansson all have spots locked up, there’s several givens among the forwards: Larkin (pending his injury status) Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp, Lucas Raymond, Marco Kasper, Viktor Arvidsson, Emmitt Finnie, J.T. Compher, and newcomer Keegan Kolesar. Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard are also above the cutline.
Carter Mazur, whose injuries have hampered his progress, was not with the main group Friday, indicating the team may decide it can risk putting him on waivers to send to the minors. (The same goes for defense prospect William Wallinder, who, like Mazur, is no longer waiver exempt.)
Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton are both coming off subpar seasons, the kind that can prompt a team to put a veteran on waivers, but Appleton, especially, has had a solid showing in camp, playing with energy and picking up an assist in two appearances.
He admitted he arrived feeling he had something to prove as he goes into the second and final year of his contract.
“For sure,” he said. “A player like me has to find that edge and find that chip and play with that every game and every day. And I feel like I’ve been bringing that and just going to keep that mindset and keep building. I think I’ve had a good camp. I like how I feel. I didn’t love parts of the back half of my year, and I think it kind of resembled our team’s game, as well. So you go into a summer kind of pissed off, and the summer feels long, and you dwell on it for a little bit, and then you turn the page. You look at yourself in the mirror and what you’ve got to do, and you’ve got to be better for this team and for yourself. That’s what I did, and I came to camp with a good jump and very motivated.”
Coach McLellan told St. James that the Red Wings are balancing the business aspect of the game with their personnel decisions:
“We’ve talked about the business part of it,” McLellan said. “We talked about the roster size an how we want to put it together. Those decisions will be made after the game tomorrow and Sunday so that we can submit [a 23-man roster] on Monday, like all the other teams in the league, what we’re going to start with.
“The veterans that are here and were here last year, they have a spot until somebody takes that spot. And sure, there’s debate − why keep that guy, why keep this guy? I’ve watched, say, App, for example − I think he’s played two games exactly the way we want him to play. And that’s a real good thing for him and for us. If he, or anybody else, can’t do it, well, then we have to find it somewhere. And if that’s from within, great. If not, then we’ll have to go out and get it.”
