Detroit Red Wings Focus on Development Over Winning Now
The Detroit Red Wings seemed geared to exit the rebuild after the off-season. But patience for the long term prevails at the season's halfway point.
The Detroit Red Wings had many believing their rebuild was nearing an end this summer after the organization made splashes in free agency. When you look closer, however, the team’s approach to their young players and prospects this year shows the Red Wings are still in a youth movement.
One player many questioned to start the season, Joe Veleno, has flourished with the Red Wings, often centering Detroit’s third line. More importantly, Veleno trails only Dylan Larkin among Detroit’s forwards with a plus-5 rating this season.
Another young forward, Jonatan Berggren, came up from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins following Tyler Bertuzzi’s injury. He’s acquitted himself well, sometimes playing on Detroit’s top line. Berggren looks like a player ready to make an impact in the NHL, driving possession and producing among the team’s top players in points per game.
Berggren’s veteran teammates took notice of his play.
“I think he’s played good hockey ever since he came up,” David Perron said of Berggren earlier this season. “He’s certainly making a difference out there. We want him to keep getting better.”
New Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde put his confidence in his trio of young forwards.
“Right now, those young guys, their play of late — I would put Berggren, Veleno and Elmer in there — I do not see me taking one of those three out,” Lalonde said last week.
Detroit’s off-season moves saw the team sign unrestricted free agents David Perron, Andrew Copp, Olli Maatta, Dominik Kubalik and Ben Chiarot. With a youth movement still underway, these additions look more about insulating and supporting their younger players than immediately getting the team over the hump. Of course, playing in a winning environment benefits development. Towering forward Michael Rasmussen and other younger players have seen incredible growth this season with those veterans at their side.
Another surprising player, Elmer Soderblom, cracked the lineup out of training camp despite Detroit’s improved depth. He spent most of the season with the Wings before taking a prime role in Grand Rapids last week. Soderblom’s demotion is yet another sign of Detroit’s approach to its prospects. The team needs him playing important minutes now to help the big club later.
Detroit has also continued to be patient in the system, focusing on providing stability to its top prospects. While most clubs shipped their top picks to the recent World Junior Championship, the Red Wings kept their top picks surrounded by familiar faces and coaches. The focus is on completing full seasons of professional hockey without interruption.
Marco Kasper (eighth overall in 2022) stayed with Rogle in the SHL despite being good enough to possibly help Austria avoid relegation and remain in the top division of the world juniors. Kasper is currently the top-scoring U-20 player in the SHL and is also tops among the league’s NHL-affiliated forwards.
The same could be said for defender Simon Edvinsson, who undoubtedly would have been a difference-maker for Sweden at the world juniors. Instead, the sixth overall pick in 2021 has played top-pairing minutes with the Griffins. He’s refining his game on North American ice to make a more significant impact when his time comes in Detroit. It’s the same path the Red Wings used for Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, and the dividends of those decisions have been obvious.
Even Detroit’s choice to keep top netminding prospect Sebastian Cossa in the ECHL shows the team promotes patience. It is not time to “win now” in Detroit, which could lead to more roster moves as the season progresses.
As the NHL trade deadline approaches, signs point to the Red Wings turning into sellers rather than buyers as they fall farther from the playoff picture. Coach Derek Lalonde trusted his younger players and created a competitive environment where players must earn their roster spots.
With a new culture developing in Motown, GM Steve Yzerman will likely look to offload assets that don’t fit in the ongoing rebuild or on a future contender. In exchange, he’ll continue to look for prospects and picks, or perhaps players inhibited by the depth of contending teams, to bolster Detroit’s future.
Trade speculation involving the Red Wings includes Tyler Bertuzzi, who would add a physical scoring element to a playoff team when he’s healthy. It’s very tempting for Detroit to flip Bertuzzi in exchange for prospects and/or picks.
Detroit also has a slew of pending UFAs, including Maatta, Alex Nedeljkovic, Pius Suter, Oskar Sundqvist, Adam Erne and Jordan Oesterle, who could draw interest as insurance for playoff teams. Captain Dylan Larkin is also a pending UFA, but the Wings are unlikely to part ways with him.
Of the group above, Maatta is almost sure to become a rental to add blueline depth elsewhere.
Jakub Vrana could be another name to appear on the trade market. He’s spent much of the season in the NHL’s player assistance program and has been playing in Grand Rapids since his return. Vrana is a proven goal-scorer and has been dominant in Detroit’s lineup since arriving via trade from the Washington Capitals.
If and when those moves occur, Detroit will keep an eye on the future and rely upon the young core they’re constructing.
The time to win in Detroit is not now, but it will be soon.