Red Wings Rumblings
It’s quiet out there… Maybe a little too quiet…
Ryan Dixon from Sportsnet is using the offseason downtime to speculate on what another expansion draft would look like for existing clubs. Dixon’s pick for Detroit may or may not upset you…
Detroit Red Wings: Jonatan Berggren, F
If it doesn’t happen for Berggren in Detroit this season, he’s a prime fresh-start candidate and an expansion club might still bet on his upside.
How about a gently-used Andrew Copp?
NHL Franchise Rankings from The Athletic
Detroit missed their top-five.. With Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles leading the way. Detroit is tied at number six with Anaheim.
“The Wings came within a tiebreaker of ending their playoff drought and breaking a tie with the Ducks — but instead it’s now at eight seasons and counting. The fact that they’re here at all is a testament to how good they were for the first decade of the Cap Era. It’s fair to wonder whether general manager Steve Yzerman is building a true contender around Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider and Co., but he’s finally assembled a group that’s capable of playing meaningful hockey. Is a roster without any glaring holes enough? It might be time to find out.”
Former scoring sensation Patrik Laine will be returning to the NHL soon, but it sounds like he’ll have a new team eventually. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said that Laine made it clear that he wants a fresh start somewhere else. Plenty of teams will be interested… Will Detroit kick the tires? Might be worth it — we’ve all seen what Laine is capable of doing, just a matter of getting him in the right place with the right players and coaches around him.
