Rounding out the Roster

The regular season begins this week and the Red Wings put the final touches on their roster for the 2011-12 season.

After last night’s preseason win over the Penguins, Detroit management sent 8 players down to Grand Rapids. A few more moves will be made regarding some players on tryouts or players that must go through waivers, but we essentially know what the final roster will look like barring any unforeseen surprises.

~~It’s likely that try out Fabian Brunnstrom will be signed to a contract and~~ Fabian Brunnstrom has signed (stick tap to our friends at The Production Line) and will join the team at the very least until Jan Mursak returns from injury around Christmas time (Mursak will be on long term injured reserve to begin the season). Cory Emmerton has earned the other final spot on the roster. So your Red Wings roster on opening night will look like the following:

Forwards: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Valtteri Filppula, Danny Cleary, Jiri Hudler, Todd Bertuzzi, Darren Helm, Patrick Eaves, Drew Miller, Justin Abdelkader, Cory Emmerton, and Fabian Brunnstrom.

Defense: Nicklas Lidstrom, Ian White, Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart, Jakub Kindl, Jonathan Ericsson, and Mike Commodore

Goalies: Jimmy Howard and Ty Conklin

How do you feel about the outlook of the roster? Mursak (before he got hurt), Emmerton, and Brunnstrom all had strong preseasons, along with Tatar and Nyqust. Depth should not be an issue for this incarnation of the Red Wings. if the stars show up it could be another memorable season in Hockeytown.

[Update: TPL has the scoop that Brunnstrom has signed. Details coming later.]

Talking Points