Reacting to the Final Roster Cut at Red Wings Training Camp
Now that there is only one day left of training camp, head coach Jeff Blashill and his staff have made their final cuts to set both rosters that will be used in the 2015 NHL Preseason. While the organization has not officially announced who has been cut from camp, they have released the final rosters. In this article, I'll be giving some quick thoughts on the line combinations, pairings, and impressions.
Team White
Forwards
LW | C | RW |
Tomas Jurco | Brad Richards | Tomas Tatar |
Johan Franzen | Riley Sheahan | Luke Glendening |
Andy Miele | Dylan Larkin | Teemu Pulkkinen |
Eric Tangradi | Louis-Marc Aubry | Evgeny Svechnikov |
- I'm in love with the first line. I think that Tomas Jurco can really excel with two offensively-crafty players like Richards and Tatar. Could produce some fun, high-octane offense.
- The second line is a bit iffy for me. Obviously, I'd like to see Glendening in the bottom six, but it's preseason. I know the team is looking to get him on the wing, so it'll be a good look. Also, Franzen. I'm still very weary of his health.
- I love the third line, but if I had to make my own observation, I would switch Svechnikov and Miele. Geno proved himself during camp, and I think it would be a ridiculous amount of fun watching him pull the piano for Larkin and Pulkkinen. Additionally, I am glad Svechnikov made the final cut./
Defense
LD | RD |
Danny DeKeyser | Mike Green |
Brendan Smith | Jakub Kindl |
Brian Lashoff | Ryan Sproul |
- Obviously, the highlight here is the first pair. This was likely the top-performing duo in camp, and I think it has most of all Red Wings fans ready to jump out of their boots. I believe that Blashill is going to learn very quickly that this is going to be his mainstay pairing.
- Smith and Kindl? Hold onto your butts.
Goalies
Petr Mrazek |
Tom McCollum |
- Petr Mrazek is going to be in the NHL all season, and I cannot be more excited. I look forward to Petr and Jimmy battling it out for the starting job. We've got a pretty good situation in net./
Team Red
Forwards
LW | C | RW |
Justin Abdelkader | Henrik Zetterberg | Gustav Nyquist |
Drew Miller | Joakim Andersson | Landon Ferraro |
Tyler Bertuzzi | Andreas Athanasiou | Anthony Mantha |
Jeff Hoggan | Tomas Nosek | Mitch Callahan |
- The top line would be better with some Pavel Datsyuk, but this is the next best thing. Abdelkader is coming off of a career season, as well as Nyquist. Mix in Captain Hank, who had a terrific camp, and you've got a top-six line that you will likely see in the regular season.
- All eyes on the third line. You've got just about everything you need here: Speed, grit, scoring, and skill. This one is going to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
- Tomas Nosek has a terrific camp, and is showing that he's ready for the next level. While Jeff Hoggan isn't necessarily a skill player, I think the duo of Nosek and Callahan could turn some heads./
Defense
LD | RD |
Niklas Kronwall | Jonathan Ericsson |
Kyle Quincey | Alexey Marchenko |
Xavier Ouellet | Nick Jensen |
Robbie Russo |
- Well all know what the first pairing is like, right? Right.
- Quincey had a sound season last year, while Marchenko made a case that he's ready for the NHL. This is simply two solid defensemen who you can rely on in their own zone. Reminds me a lot of what the Quincey - DeKeyser pairing was, just with a right-hand shot.
- The third pair is my favorite. Lots of skill, puck moving abilities, and sharpness here. Both defensemen are ready for the NHL, and I have a feeling this might be one of Blashill's most solid duos during exhibition. Not to mention, you have Russo as a 7th man. That's some pretty remarkable depth./
Goalies
Jimmy Howard |
Jared Coreau |
- Jimmy Howard really impressed me during scrimmage at camp. He seems relaxed, and ready to compete. As I said before, I think we have a really exciting amount of depth with out net-minders.
- I really like Jared Coreau. He had a rough start as a Griffin/Walleye, but he's bounced back and will compete for the starting job in Grand Rapids. When fully padded, Coreau is the size of a vending machine. That is not an exaggeration./
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While there still might be changes made, these are the presumable rosters we will see in preseason. There's a lot of exciting young talent here, so don't miss out when it's televised. Keep in mind, Fox Sports Detroit will only be televising a handful of games. Plan accordingly! Preseason starts on Tuesday!