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Where Might Brandsegg-Nygard, Finnie, and Sandin-Pellikka Play?

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Alexander DeBerardinis | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 10:09 AM ET

With the emergence of Brandsegg-Nygard, Sandin-Pellikka, and Finnie, McClellan and the Red Wings coaching staff are going to have to make roster choices. There are certain untouchables in the Red Wings lineup. Larkin is your 1C, Raymond is RW1, and Kasper is 2C. So with all the things we know about the team, how can we slot the rookies in to make lines that benefit both the team and their development? Taking into consideration position, need, and role. Let’s look at the best roster that integrates all these rookies.

Emmitt Finnie:

Best Fit: Finnie-Larkin-Raymond

After seeing Kasper and the honey-badger archetype work out well with Larkin and Raymond, Finnie seems like a natural fit. Even in the preseason, Finnie played best with the best players. Despite having bulked up since last year, Finnie might still need to adjust to the pro game, and doing it against 99th percentile competition probably isn’t the go-to for that. All in all, Finnie fits the top line until he proves otherwise.

Likely Fit: Finnie-Larkin-Raymond

As I said before, Finnie plays with Larkin and Raymond until he proves he can’t. Not to mention the competition on the left wing is really thin right now, and he’s a better stylistic fit than JVR and has more potential than Soderblom.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard:

Best Fit: DeBrincat-Kasper-Brandsegg-Nygard

Holy smokes, this line is amazing. Watching these three together was genuinely poetic against Toronto. Kasper and MBN fit well together and bang and crash to get DeBrincat the puck. If it’s still a Florida Panthers league, this line is straight out of their playbook.

Likely Fit: Soderblom-Copp-Brandsegg-Nygard

While the LW is weaker and hopefully MBN can play his off wing at some point, the RW is crowded. I don’t see Detroit putting him over Kane, even though they probably should. MBN needs to play in the middle six for development, and Detroit needs that. This line is both offensively talented and gritty enough for MBN to fit in nicely. Even though I think Kane in the bottom six is more beneficial at this point in his career.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka:

Best Fit: Edvinsson-Sandin-Pellikka

Despite a lot of people being concerned that ASP might be too small to play in the top four, he’s the same size as Johansson, who did it last season. Ideally, if the bottom pair is decent this season, Edvinsson’s pair won’t be thrust into brutal deployments. If this is the case, I see no reason ASP won’t pick up the pro-game fast enough to where he’s a productive defenseman before long.

Likely Fit: Edvinsson-Sandin-Pellikka

Because of how shallow this team’s right side (and defense as a whole) is, ASP on the second pair seems natural. A Johansson and Hamonic bottom pair can hopefully tread water enough to trot out three good pairs, and ASP on the second pair is a big part of that.

Best Lineup Card: