The Free Press’s Helene St. James and MLive’s Ansar Khan both published articles discussing Red Wings prospect Joe Veleno’s chances of making the Red Wings’ roster this morning.

St. James’ subscriber-only article is blunt in its assessment of Veleno’s opportunities:

Veleno has gained strength and experience over the past year and a half, using a long layoff forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to spend extra time in the gym. He’s 6 feet 1, 206 pounds, and able to hold his own on the ice. He’s a natural center but has the versatility to play wing. If he’s not on the opening roster, he’ll be in Detroit soon.

“He’s making his way to being close to NHL ready,” Blashill said. “I think there’s a lot of guys that are kind of in that mix. It’s that next step that’s probably more important — not being NHL ready but ready to help an NHL team be way better. That’s what we’re looking for — how do you help the Detroit Red Wings be a way better team, now just how can you make our team.

“Is Joe taking steps in the right direction? 100%. He’s worked his tail off over two years to change his body. He’s bought into being really good on the D-side of the puck. So then it depends where he would potentially fit in. Is he better than other guys? All that stuff comes into it. But he’s taking steps in the right direction.”

Injuries always play into decisions, and both Michael Rasmussen and Givani Smith, who will either be on the roster or on injured reserve, are dealing with undisclosed ailments.  Lucas Raymond, a first-round pick from 2020, has done everything in his power to show he should be in the lineup. Veteran Bobby Ryan is expected to receive a contract. 

And MLive’s Khan continues the narrative:

Veleno, 21, is waiver-exempt, which could play a significant role in the Red Wings’ decision. They can send him to the Grand Rapids Griffins without risk of losing him.

Veleno didn’t look out of place during a five-game NHL stint at the end of last season but could be caught in a numbers crunch.

Mitchell Stephens, acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay, appears to be the leading candidate for the fourth-line center spot. Veterans Sam Gagner and Carter Rowney and young Givani Smith, who no longer is waiver-exempt, also are in the mix for fourth-line spots on the wing.

The Red Wings won’t keep Veleno around as an extra forward or if he isn’t getting decent ice time.

Veleno isn’t fretting about what might happen.

“I try to leave the distractions out of my head and kind focus on playing hockey and have some fun with it,” he said. “Work as hard as I can and see what kind of outcome happens. It’s definitely tough, especially in the preseason. You want to make the best impression, you want to limit mistakes, play the right way, earn the coaches’ trust. Obviously, chip in offensively.”

NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman offers this take on how the Red Wings and seven other Eastern Conference teams can return to playing playoff hockey:

DETROIT RED WINGS

Last season: 19-27-10, 48 points, 16 points out of fourth place in Discover Central Division

How it ended: The Red Wings won five of their first 21 games (5-13-3) and never got closer than nine points out of a playoff spot the rest of the season.

Biggest offseason change: Detroit solidified itself in goal by acquiring Alex Nedeljkovic in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 22. Nedeljkovic was 15-5-3 with a 1.90 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 starts last season. He led all goalies to play at least 20 games in GAA and save percentage, and was third in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

Why they could get in: The Red Wings allowed 3.00 goals per game last season (20th in NHL), but they should be better defensively with the additions of Nedeljkovic and defenseman Nick Leddy, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Islanders on July 16, and the ascension of top prospect Moritz Seider, who was named the best defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League last season and at the 2021 IIHF World Championship. Seider, 20, won’t be the only young player ready to make an NHL impact with Detroit, though. Among those potentially ready for larger roles are forwards Michael Rasmussen, 22; Joe Veleno, 21; and Lucas Raymond, 19. If they can deliver alongside veteran forwards Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, that combined with the Red Wings’ defensive improvements could put them in the running for a wild card.

Continued

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski posted a massive preview of the 2021-2022 NHL season, and here’s his take on the Red Wings’ season outlook as part of a list of “power rankings”:

29. Detroit Red Wings

Last season: 19-27-10, missed playoffs

Key players added: C Pius Suter, C Mitchell Stephens, D Nick Leddy, G Alex Nedeljkovic

Key players lost: G Jonathan Bernier, C Luke Glendening, C Darren Helm, D Dennis Cholowski (expansion draft)

Most fascinating player: We’re going to disqualify Jakub Vrana from this category because he’ll miss around four months thanks to shoulder surgery. Otherwise, watching Jake the Snake slither around the offensive zone for the Wings would have been the pick. Instead, we’ll go in the other direction: Moritz Seider, the team’s 20-year-old rookie defenseman. The German-born sixth overall pick in 2019, Seider got a professional season under his belt in 2020-21 while playing for Rogle in the Swedish Hockey League. He’s been paired with Nick Leddy in the preseason, giving him a solid veteran on whom to rely. One of those Red Wings prospects whose arrival on the main roster portends the eventual end of this rebuild.

Best case: The slow, steady pace of GM Steve Yzerman‘s rebuild extends for another season, one that sees Detroit’s younger players show sparks of potential and the Red Wings get a top-three pick for the first time since drafting Keith Primeau at third overall in 1990.

Worst case: The Red Wings somehow generate more offense than last season (2.23 goals per game, 30th in the NHL) with Vrana out of the lineup, get solid goaltending and are a shock contender for a wild-card spot — thus delaying the progress of their build.

X factor: The Hurricanes felt that Nedeljkovic hadn’t shown enough beyond three great months — great enough to earn him a Calder Trophy nomination, mind you — to warrant an investment as their goaltender. The Red Wings swooped in, traded for him and handed the restricted free agent a two-year deal. Detroit has gotten incrementally better defensively in the past couple of seasons, which will benefit Nedeljkovic. But it’s on him to show that months like April 2021 (5-1-1, .941 save percentage and a 1.72 GAA!) weren’t notes from a one-hit wonder.

Fantasy outlook: Keep an eye on rookie defenseman Seider. He has the skill — and the Red Wings will present him the opportunity — to become a fantasy factor on the blue line. More on fantasy outlook

Bold prediction: 2020 first-rounder Lucas Raymond hits the Red Wings’ roster sooner than later, and makes absolute magic with Dylan Larkin.

Continued (paywall)

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Thursday night, winning a sort of mucky-grind-y game opposite the Penguins’ B Team, and wining up a stretch of 5 games played over the course of 6 nights with a 3-and-2 record.

NHL.com posted a succinct recap of an up-and-down affair…

Tyler Bertuzzi scored in his first game in more than eight months for the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-2 preseason win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday.

Bertuzzi had not played since Jan. 30 because of a back injury. He scored into an empty net with 29 seconds left.

Joe Veleno had a goal and an assist, and Thomas Greiss made 22 saves for Detroit.

Drew O’Connor and Dominik Simon scored, and Casey DeSmith made 33 saves for Pittsburgh.

As did the Associated Press:

Joe Veleno had a goal and an assist, and Thomas Greiss stopped 22 shots to help Detroit beat Pittsburgh.

Pius Suter, Filip Hronek and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Red Wings. Veleno got the tiebreaking goal with 4 1/2 minutes remaining and Bertuzzi added an empty-netter in the final minute.

Drew O’Connor and Dominik Simon scored for Pittsburgh, and Casey DeSmith had 33 saves.

MLive’s Ansar Khan also summarized Joe Veleno’s situation as he battles for a roster spot…

According to Bally Sports Detroit’s John Keating, Manon Rheaume, who has already done work with French-language broadcasters, will be joining the Bally Sports Detroit team this upcoming season:

Of prospect-related note, in North America on Thursday:

In the OHL, Pasquale Zito scored 2 goals on 3 shots, finishing even with a 9-for-17 faceoff record in the Windsor Spitfires’ 6-3 loss to Sarnia.

The Detroit Red Wings began tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins looking to close out their preseason on high notes: possessing a 3-and-3 record, a slimmed-down Red Wings roster views these final two games as “dress rehearsals” for the regular season, and while the results of the game may not count for anything, the team’s performances tonight and Saturday vs. Buffalo (3 PM EDT on MSG B) matter.

Thursday’s game wasn’t easy to judge given the caliber of the Penguins’ roster, which was clearly a “B Team”–and the Wings’ mental fatigue was a concern, despite playing 5 exhibition games in 6 nights–but Detroit out-lasted Pittsburgh, surrendering a 2-goal lead but ultimately winning a 4-2 decision.

Joe Veleno registered a goal and an assist, Pius Suter, Filip Hronek and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored (Bertuzzi’s goal was an empty-netter), and Thomas Greiss stopped 22 shots in a game where Moritz Seider played 21:18, taking 5 shots.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff penned a subscriber-only article discussing 5 ways in which the Red Wings can make up for the goals that Jakub Vrana would have scored for them prior to his shoulder injury, which requires surgical repair. Among Duff’s suggestions are the following:

The answer that would’ve proven to be music to everyone’s ears would be Zadina saying that he expects to put away many more goals than the six he registered in 49 games last season.

The way that can happen is twofold. Firstly, Zadina needs to be using his teammates more effectively as an offensive weapon. Secondly, he must be more of a presence in the goal-scoring locales.

“Ultimately with Z, the two areas that we worked with him to be effective is to become more of a give-and-go player and then . . . the net front and slot,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said of Zadina. “When he’s been effective, if you look at it statistically over the years, that’s where he’s scored from. That’s where everybody scores from and that’s where he’s got the majority of his shots from.

When he’s not as effective, he’s on the outside too much. And you can’t get to that area a lot of times just by beating people yourself. You have to give and go. We’ve put an emphasis on that. Hopefully he can excel at that.”

Over 86 NHL games, Zadina is showing 15 goals. Even were he to get 15 this season, that would prove satisfying.

Continued (paywall)

Red Wings prospect Kienan Draper has chosen to return to the BCHL for one final season after skating in an up-and-down campaign for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers last year, and Draper suggests to the Vancouver Province’s Steve Ewen that he has “unfinished business” with his Chilliwack Chiefs:

Draper is committed to Miami University (Ohio) and slated to join their program next season. He’s opted to come back to play for the Chiefs and coach Brian Maloney for a final year of junior hockey.

The 18-team BCHL opens its regular season Friday with seven games, including the Chiefs visiting the Langley Rivermen.

“I feel like I have some unfinished business here,” the son of longtime Detroit Red Wings centre Kris Draper said. “With the coaching and facilities, and this being such a fantastic part of the country, I’m really happy to be back.

“Last year was a bit strange. You don’t see guys leave teams and leagues partway through seasons, but we’re hockey players and we wanted to play, and we found a way to get to play.”

Continued

NHL.com’s fantasy hockey staff made “bold predictions” for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams, and their prediction for one Moritz Seider’s rookie campaign is…well, bold:

Detroit Red Wings: Defenseman Moritz Seider will outscore teammate Filip Hronek and lead NHL rookie defensemen in goals with at least 10 and points with at least 35.

Continued;