Training camp and exhibition season, which will run on Sept. 21-Oct. 7, offers an opportunity to see who plays well against whom, and the Detroit Red Wings may need an entire roster to line up their teams going forward after bringing in some newcomers during in the offseason.
Added Alex DeBrincat via a trade with the Ottawa Senators on July 9, joining free agent signings JT Compher, Daniel Sprong and Christian Fischer. Klim Kostin was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers during the June draft. They were selected by general manager Steve Yzerman to form a roster that was ultimately cut by Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Dominik Kubalik, Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist. The returning forward cast 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 in late 2023, before injuries shut him down.
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The new additions and returning established vets add up to a core 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 until last 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 would be an option to play on the other wing; At 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, Kostin will add a heavy presence on the line, and playing with two seasoned linemates will give Klim the opportunity to build on a career-year (11 goals, 21 points ) that he will launch.
The second line projects to center on Copp or Compher, with Raymond and Perron on the wings. Possibly, if Compher pulls out of that group’s duties, the third line will be Copp with Fabbri and Rasmussen. Copp and Rasmussen had a brief stint last season that ended when Rasmussen suffered a foot injury Feb. 25. Rasmussen enjoyed a strong season (with a career-high 29 points in 56 games). and improved after being transferred from the playing center to the third line of playing wing in Copp. Fabbri, who was limited by injuries to 28 games last season, plays on the third line (with occasional appearances on the second line).
Berggren scored 15 goals in 67 games in his rookie season. An abundance of skilled veterans could bump him to the fourth line when the season starts, but he’ll be in contention to get his minutes on the power play. Veleno appeared in 81 games last season, and since he plays the center spot, he plans to be the pivot of 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 will be another guy auditioning to join power play units.
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Fischer wants 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 in that effort.
Besides 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 short AHL stint at the end of last season after a couple of seasons at Denver University. Those three appear destined to start in Grand Rapids, but they’ll have a chance during the exhibition to show how far they’ve come.
It all adds up to a solid amount of depth that will help get the Wings closer to the playoff picture.
Contact Helene St. James onhstjames@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@helenestjames.
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His latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available at Amazon,Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personal copies available through his e-mail.