Why it should be fun to watch Detroit Red Wings sort out lines come camp, preseason
Training camp and exhibition season, which runs Sept. 21-Oct. 7, offers an opportunity to see who plays well with whom, and the Detroit Red Wings may need the entire stretch to sort out their forward groupings after bringing in a handful of newcomers during the offseason.
Alex DeBrincat was added via a trade with the Ottawa Senators on July 9, joining free-agent signings J.T. Compher, Daniel Sprong and Christian Fischer. Klim Kostin was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers during June's draft. They were selected by general manager Steve Yzerman to flesh out a roster eventually trimmed of Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Dominik Kubalik, Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist. The returning cast of forwards includes Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Andrew Copp, David Perron, Robby Fabbri, Jonatan Berggren, Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno. There should also be a push from 2022 first-round pick Marco Kasper, who debuted late in 2023, before injuries shut him down.
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The new additions plus the returning established vets add up to a main group of 13 forwards for Derek Lalonde and his coaching staff to distribute across four lines. After playing together for most of Raymond's career, since his debut in 2021-22, Larkin and Raymond played on separate lines down the stretch this past spring. Given DeBrincat's history as a scorer — he has two 40-goal seasons — it makes sense to put him on the top line with Larkin. In that event, Kostin could be an option to play the other wing; at 6 feet 2 and 216 pounds, Kostin would add a heavy presence on the line, and playing with two skilled linemates would give Klim the opportunity to build on the career-year (11 goals, 21 points) he is coming off.
The second line projects to be centered either by Copp or Compher, with Raymond and Perron on the wings. Potentially, if Compher pulls duty in that group, the third line could be Copp with Fabbri and Rasmussen. Copp and Rasmussen really jelled in an admittedly short time last season that ended when Rasmussen suffered a leg injury Feb 25. Rasmussen was enjoying a strong season (with a career-high 29 points in 56 games) and thrived after being moved from playing center on the third line to playing wing with Copp. Fabbri, limited by injuries to 28 games last season, played on the third line (with occasional appearances on the second line).
Berggren scored 15 goals in 67 games in his rookie season. The abundance of skilled veterans may bump him to the fourth line when the season begins, but he'll be in the competition to pad his minutes with power play time. Veleno appeared in 81 games last season, and given that he plays the center spot, he projects to be the pivot on the fourth line. That leaves Sprong and Fischer. Sprong is coming off a career-high 21-goal, 46-point season, and with 14 points coming during man advantages, he'll be another guy auditioning to join the power play units.
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Fischer will want to prove he belongs in the lineup, not as the 13th forward, of course, and his 27 points in 80 games last season will help with that effort.
In addition to Kasper, other prospects who should give the veterans a push include Elmer Söderblom, the 6-8 winger who recorded eight points in 21 games with the Wings last season, and Carter Mazur, who played well (six points in six games) in a brief AHL stint at the end of last season after a couple seasons at Denver University. Those three appear earmarked to start in Grand Rapids, but they will have a chance during exhibition season to show how far they have progressed.
It all adds up to a solid amount of depth that should help propel the Wings closer to the playoff picture.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings have intriguing options to sort out forward lines
