It has been several years since there has been this much anticipation for Red Wings fans heading into a new season. With an active offseason, signing the likes of Andrew Copp, David Perron, and Ben Chiarot, there is now a log jam of NHL players competing to be in the opening night lineup. Steve Yzerman has made it clear in his media availabilities that players on the roster and in the AHL need to improve for the team to take that next step forward.
Michael Rasmussen entered the 2021-22 season fresh from a three-year contract extension. He was looking to build off his strong finish of the previous season and solidify himself as an everyday player. In the first half of last season, Rasmussen struggled and was a weak point in Detroit’s bottom six. In the back half, Rasmussen was one of Detroit’s most consistent players, especially post-trade deadline, and is now looking to earn a spot in the middle-six this coming season.
With an influx of prospects beginning to push for NHL, roster spots will become much harder to come by in Detroit. Here are five players entering make-or-break seasons in Detroit for various reasons.
Filip Zadina
Fresh off of a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.825 million a season, Zadina is looking to have that breakout season everyone has been waiting for finally. The 2021-22 season was Zadina’s first full season in the NHL, and in 74 games, he recorded ten goals and 14 assists, averaging a little over 14 minutes a game. While his counting stats aren’t exactly impressive from a top-ten pick, his analytical numbers were promising.
While Zadina disappointed from a scoring perspective, he still generated a large amount of offense compared to the rest of the roster. From Money Puck, Zadina had a Corsi percentage of 52% by the end of the 2021-22 season, ranking sixth on the Red Wings. Only Pius Suter had a worse goals above expected than Zadina, who finished with -5.4, which is a mix of being unlucky and lack of confidence around the net.
Away from players not named Jakub Vrana and Dylan Larkin, Zadina has struggled to produce points. There is also the question of where Zadina will play on Detroit’s powerplay. Zadina has almost exclusively played the right-half wall his entire career. Still, Detroit also has Jakub Vrana and Dominik Kubalik, who have also been slotted in that position in their careers and have produced.
With Robby Fabbri likely returning from injury before the new year and prospects such as Jonatan Berggren and Elmer Soderblom potentially pushing for roster spots, Zadina will need to have a strong start, or he could find himself lower in the lineup than he’d like to be.
With a new coach in Derek Lalonde, who is known as a players coach, and improved depth with three free agent signings in Andrew Copp, David Perron, and Dominik Kubalik, Zadina should have good players to play with, whether on the first line or the third line, which should lead to personal success for the 22-year-old.
Joe Veleno
After wrapping up his first season in the NHL, Joe Veleno finds himself in a logjam of forwards, all competing for a spot in Detroit’s bottom six. Veleno had an up-and-down season that saw him bounce between Detroit and Grand Rapids on a few occasions, but in 66 games in the NHL, Veleno scored eight goals and seven assists.
Veleno stood out above the rest at the AHL level, scoring at a near point-per-game pace with six goals and ten points in 11 games. Once Dylan Larkin was ruled out for the remainder of last season, Veleno had a long look in the top-six and played well alongside Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond. With improved depth at forward this season, Veleno will have more of a chance to make an impact each game and hopefully produce more offense.
Veleno has played primarily center at the NHL level. With the signing of Andrew Copp and Dylan Larkin slotting in on the first line, Veleno will likely be competing for the third-line center role with Pius Suter and Michael Rasmussen.
Drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Veleno has yet to translate the offense he produced in the QMJHL to the pro level across an entire season. With prospects such as Jonatan Berggren, Elmer Soderblom, and Marco Kasper likely to be integrated into the lineup over the next few seasons, Veleno needs to have a big season to avoid being lost in the shuffle.
While he has shown that he is ready for a full-time position, if Veleno doesn’t have a strong camp, he may find himself back in Grand Rapids, as aside from Lucas Raymond, Veleno is the only forward who isn’t affected by waivers.
Filip Hronek
Hronek is in a bit of a different boat than the others on this list as he’s been a top-four defenseman his entire NHL career, but that has been out of necessity. Last season, Hronek had the highest offensive production of his NHL career with five goals and 33 assists in 78 games. But whether it be due to the lack of a proper partner or regression, Hronek struggled mightily in the defensive zone, even finding himself a healthy scratch on a few occasions.
Hronek is under contract for two more seasons with a cap hit of $4.4 million a year; arguably an overpay at his current state. While the Red Wings’ cap sheet looks favorable at the moment, the Red Wings will likely have big extensions to factor in for Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi next year and Jakub Vrana, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider the year after. While a defenseman producing at nearly a half-a-point per game pace is valuable in today’s NHL, there is also a need for a top-four defenseman to have more than just offensive ability.
If Hronek can regain his form from the 2019-20 season, where he was a solid defender in his own end and also generate offense at a high level, it would be a much-needed boost to the defense. With the Red Wings signing two defensive-minded defensemen in Olli Maatta and Ben Chiarot to complement the team’s young right side, Hronek will have a capable partner and be set up for a bounce-back season in 2022-23.
Givani Smith
Drafted 46th overall by Detroit in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Smith has yet to make his mark at the NHL level. After making Detroit’s 23-player roster in 2021-22, Smith would only appear in 46 of the 82 games, scoring four goals and three assists.
Part of the lack of games played is due to an injury he suffered in the back half of the year, but it is also hard for one-dimensional players like Smith to succeed in an NHL bottom-six. Players like Sam Gagner and Carter Rowney killed penalties for the Red Wings, while Smith didn’t see time on either special team’s units.
Aside from Oskar Sundqvist, Detroit lacks a genuine physical presence up front, which is Givani Smith’s game. With Robby Fabbri on injured reserve, the Red Wings currently have 14 forwards on the roster, and Smith will need to have a strong showing in camp to prove he can make a difference on the roster.
Gustav Lindstrom
After short stints the previous two seasons, Lindstrom earned a full-time NHL role in 2021-22, becoming the second Red Wings’ 2017 draft class member.
The first half of the 2021-22 season was a success for Lindstrom, averaging 16:07 a game; he showed the ability to shut down plays efficiently in the defensive zone and begin transitioning up ice. Although he was deployed in a third-pairing role, Lindstrom was still relied upon to be a key penalty killer on Detroit’s blueline.
But Lindstrom’s game plummeted once the All-Star break passed like many other Red Wings. Lindstrom was consistently beaten to loose pucks in his defensive corner, and although he sits at 6-foot-two, 185 pounds, he was being outmuscled in puck battles. Lindstrom finished his season with one goal and 12 assists in 63 games.
The Red Wings went into free agency intending to bolster the NHL blueline from top to bottom, signing Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Mark Pysyk, and Robert Hagg, the latter two spending long stints on the right side last season. Lindstrom’s spot in the lineup is far from safe, but last season he also competed for a spot in the top-six and beat Troy Stetcher on opening night.
Detroit’s top-four feels all but set with some combination of Seider, Hronek, Chiarot, and Maatta, leaving plenty of competition for the final two positions. Pysyk will be out for most of this upcoming season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, and Jake Walman will likely miss the first part of the season. Still, defensemen such as Jordan Oesterle, Robert Hagg, and 2021 sixth overall pick Simon Edvinsson will all be pushing for one of the remaining two spots on Detroit’s blueline.
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all 5 except Veleno are probably gone