From The Silky Mitten State: Is there a realistic scenario in which the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft plays for the Red Wings by the end of next season?
On the most recent episode of The Silky Mitten State, my co-host Connor Earegood and I debated a simple question: Is there any realistic scenario in which Axel Sandin-Pellikka could play for the Red Wings by the end of the 2024-25 season?
As it stands, Sandin Pellikka—whom Detroit selected 17th overall at the 2023 NHL Draft—is set to return to the Swedish club Skellefteå AIK for another season in the SHL. However, depending on the precise date of that season's conclusion, he could theoretically join the Red Wings in the spring for the end of the regular season.
Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Detroit Red Wings draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka stands with Red Wings staff after being selected with the seventeenth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone ArenaIt's a question that Connor raised, arguing that it could be great exposure for the young defenseman, especially if Detroit has either clinched a playoff spot or played its way out of playoff contention.
To me, while this isn't totally outside the realm of possibility, it is a rather unlikely scenario. Last season, the Red Wings battled through an excruciatingly long wild card race into a shootout in the final game of the regular season. Whichever side of the bubble Detroit winds up on in the coming season, I expect the same sort of late season battle, which more or less closes the door on the kind of NHL cameo the Red Wings gave Marco Kasper at the end of the '22-23 regular season.
I also believe Sandin-Pellikka's profile suggests a longer development arc. I say this not at all as a slight toward his potential or performance; to me, it is a simple reality of an undersized offense first defenseman trained primarily on European ice sheets. Simon Edvinsson—listed seven inches taller than Sandin-Pellikka—didn't become an NHL regular until the end of last season, three years after being drafted. Of course each prospect has the chance to chart their own path, but I would be surprised if Sandin-Pellikka winds up on a quicker development path. It doesn't mean he won't grow into a good NHL defenseman; it just seems a realistic appraisal of the intersection of his development and Detroit's contention aspirations.