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Quick Hits: The Roster Construction Edition

In Red Wings Land

What Steve Yzerman is prioritizing as he works to fill out Red Wings roster | Freep

Yzerman has stressed he wants players to compete for jobs, and director of European scouting Hakan Andersson said at the draft that perceived competitiveness was a key factor as the Wings made their selections. Young players such as Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and Evgeny Svechnikov will get a job if they earn one, regardless of summer signings.

I enjoyed reading the above quote… but does the tie still go to the veteran?

Projecting the Red Wings’ 2019-20 lineup: Version 1.0 | The Athletic ($)

Can’t argue too much with Max’s assessment here. I’d be okay with Zadina starting on the third line with Darren Helm and Valtteri Filppula. Let him gain some experience and confidence and work his way up the lineup. Keeping Taro Hirose alongside Andreas Athanasiou seems like a good idea too.

Around the League

BET ON ME: TOP 10 BOUNCE-BACK CANDIDATES AFTER SIGNING NEW CONTRACTS | The Hockey News

Calvin Pickard, G, 27 (Detroit – two-year, $1.4-million deal)

Pickard’s two-year deal with the Red Wings suggests the team isn’t confident Jonathan Bernier can be a consistent backup. Jimmy Howard is still the go-to guy and has another year left on his contract and at 35, but Pickard will serve as backup depth. This is Pickard’s fifth team since 2017 and he has yet to prove himself as an NHL regular, but at 27, training camp is his opportunity to put up or shut up if he wants to stick in the NHL.

I’m sure he’ll do well in Grand Rapids (and, I guess, in Detroit whenever Howard and/or Bernier inevitably get hurt).

Bonus Round

Want to feel old? Now I know what JJ must feel like whenever he talks to me.

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