Red Wings Preseason Roster Analysis: Winners and Losers

Big Time Winners:

Emmit Finnie:

• Yeah, the 7th rounder is by far the biggest winner of the preseason. Not only did he make the team before Nate Danielson, (who was a part of the same draft,) he is going to be playing on the top line left wing. Finnie has beat the odds more than anyone else in the Red Wings organization and he is by far the biggest winner. 

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard:

• Similar to Finnie, just a tad less shocking. The former first round pick put on an absolute clinic this preseason. MBN was first in the NHL preseason for points and goals. MBN also put pressure on the coaching staff to steal some big minutes. He looks like a PP2 player and a fringe top 6 guy in a top 6 that looked fairly cemented before he came in. 

Axel Sandin-Pellikka:

• To round off the biggest winners, it’s the third of the rookies, of course. ASP seized a spot from three seasoned veterans on the right side. After playing both power play, penalty kill, and top four minutes beside Simon Edvinsson in some games, ASP really seized a role. 

Small Winners:

Larkin and Raymond:

• Even if Emmitt Finnie doesn’t stick, the options for their left wing are far more exciting. Finnie, MBN, JVR, Berggren, Soderblom, and anyone else who jumps up look like a huge upgrade on the Veleno’s that it was last year. 

Albert Johansson:

• AlJo played a fantastic preseason, and his spot on the team has so many questions in a good way. Will he be the top pair on the left side? Will he continue in the top four? Will he man his own pair on the third pair? All seem like good options. He bulked up and looked a lot more confident, and he’s going to earn some bigger minutes for it. 

Moritz Seider:

• This has the potential to be the best defence core Detroit has put out in a while. Johansson with Seider is an improved top pair, Edvinsson and ASP is an exciting pair in both ends and Chiarot with Hamonic makes this d-core actually solid. With three decent pairs, it won’t be trial by fire for Moritz for the first time in his career. 

Andrew Copp:

• Copp has put himself into two different but interesting roles on this team. Copp centering the Rasmussen and Appleton checking line was strong. Compher and MBN with Copp created a strong grind line as well. Copp has emerged as a solid NHL 3C this preseason, and I don’t know too many fans are too upset about that cap hit anymore. 

Nate Danielson: 

• Danielson didn’t make the team, but McClellan made it seem like he would’ve if he stayed healthy. The good news is that Danielson is likely the first call-up if someone gets hurt or traded. It was unlikely Danielson would make the team in the first place, but he will be up before long and that’s a win as a whole for Danielson. 

Just Barely Losers:

Jonatan Berggren:

• Berggren was already unlikely to play a big role on the team, but with three rookies coming up, it is almost certain Berggren will be the healthy scratch on most nights. While it’s possible he may get a look on that top line LW, it’s far more likely he doesn’t play at all than play up there. 

Elmer Soderblom: 

• From the top line likely to the fourth line wing, Soderblom lost the spot to Finnie, who wasn’t really on anyone’s radar. Truthfully, Soderblom was out of his depth on the first line, but he’s also a little too good to be on the fourth line, so he’s going to have to win back some trust to get higher in the lineup. 

James Van Riemsdyk:

• Similar to Soderblom, he was expected to get looks on the top line, but now his chance to get playing time as a whole is in jeopardy. The difference is, I don’t think the new father is going to complain too much about watching the youth run around while he collects a late-career paycheck. In his own way, JVR might actually be a winner. 

Sebastian Cossa:

• Cossa probably wasn’t going to make the roster, but he certainly didn’t put pressure on the organization to do so. With a lot of the Griffins players making a real case for them to be at the NHL level, Cossa didn’t really do the same. It’s back to Grand Rapids until someone gets injured, which might be sooner than we’d hope for. 

Carter Mazur:

• A gritty rookie looking for a roster spot was leapfrogged by two gritty forwards who were a handful of years younger. It won’t be long before Mazur is back up at the NHL level, but his role is going to be much reduced as it stands right now. 

Big Time Losers:

Holl and Gustafsson:

• No surprise here, the two guys who lost their jobs are by far the biggest losers of the preseason. Holl is stuck in Grand Rapids, and Gustafsson is now the fourth-best LD on the current roster. The roster has fortunately outgrown the net negative defenceman. 

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