The Detroit Red Wings\u2019 offseason might or might not be done.<\/p>\n
When general manager Steve Yzerman met with the media last week, he still alluded to the possibility of trade opportunities that could arise in the wake of free agency. He even mentioned there were \u201ca couple teams looking to do some things that we do have some interest in and are possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the days (and possibly weeks) to come, we\u2019ll find out whether any of those will materialize into anything more than tire kicking. If not, perhaps a 13th forward or third goaltender will come into the mix instead.<\/p>\n
But as of now, as the dust begins to settle, Yzerman and the Red Wings have a roster in place. And that means the rest of us have a chance to start imagining how the pieces could fit together.<\/p>\n
Granted, coach Todd McLellan doesn\u2019t have to pick just one arrangement. Throughout the long NHL season, there are all kinds of combinations he can experiment with \u2014 more than we can realistically project here. And the new lineup players the Red Wings added \u2014 wingers James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton, defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker \u2014 give McLellan plenty of flexibility.<\/p>\n
So today, even acknowledging the possibility of one more move, it\u2019s worth examining what kind of options Detroit is looking at with its new depth chart.<\/p>\n
The default<\/p>\n
James van Riemsdyk<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Dylan Larkin<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Lucas Raymond<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alex DeBrincat<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Marco Kasper<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Patrick Kane<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Andrew Copp<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
J.T. Compher<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Mason Appleton<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elmer S\u00f6derblom<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Michael Rasmussen<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Jonatan Berggren<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Chiarot<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Moritz Seider<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
John Gibson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simon Edvinsson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Albert Johansson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Cam Talbot<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Erik Gustafsson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Justin Holl<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Jacob Bernard-Docker<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
I\u2019m calling this the default because when I look at the names on Detroit\u2019s roster, it\u2019s the one that makes the most sense to me. But rather than start at the top, I want to start in the middle of the lineup, because the rest of the decisions ultimately flow out from there.<\/p>\n
We know Yzerman views Appleton as a classic checking-line winger who can contribute offensively as well. That makes it easy to slot him onto the third line at right wing. The first question, though, is whether Andrew Copp or J.T. Compher will center that checking line \u2014 and the answer might turn out to be both.<\/p>\n
When I asked Yzerman after the draft how he saw his center situation playing out after Marco Kasper\u2019s great finish to the season as the team\u2019s No. 2 center, he noted the possibility of Compher and Copp\u2019s playing on the same line together, determining who takes faceoffs by which side of the ice the draw is on. Yzerman is ultimately going to leave those decisions to McLellan, so he\u2019s not tipping a hand or anything here, but keeping both players higher in the lineup in a matchup role that would give Detroit a real advantage on faceoffs is an interesting idea.<\/p>\n
So, for Scenario 1, let\u2019s go with that as the construction for the third line. From there, the question is who will move into the top-line left-wing role. And there are a lot of options, with no clear choice. But looking at it on paper in early July, I found myself homing in on two players: veteran van Riemsdyk and young winger Elmer S\u00f6derblom.<\/p>\n
My gut, though, is to give the close call to van Riemsdyk, who had 16 goals last year and is as proven a net-front presence as you\u2019ll find in the NHL. He\u2019s no longer in his prime, at 36, but being able to dig pucks out of a scrum or bang home a rebound? That\u2019s still right in his wheelhouse, and it makes a lot of sense to put him with two players who funnel plenty of pucks into that area.<\/p>\n
There is a question of pace, but none of the alternatives answers that question any better. The biggest issue might be workload, as van Riemsdyk averaged just 12:24 of ice time last season. But there were games van Riemsdyk got as high as 17 minutes, and if he can give 15 good minutes at even strength, that might be enough. It\u2019s not ideal, but no top-line option is, and van Riemsdyk\u2019s size and touch around the net make him an interesting option.<\/p>\n
That leaves a fourth line of S\u00f6derblom, Michael Rasmussen and Jonatan Berggren, which is admittedly a bit of a mishmash of skills. But it still has a solid defensive center in Rasmussen, a nifty playmaker in Berggren and a skilled stickhandler with a big shot in S\u00f6derblom. That could work, even if the line feels like it lacks a real identity.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on defense, there\u2019s not a lot of analysis needed because it\u2019s basically what Detroit went with when Jeff Petry was out last season. In that time, Albert Johansson broke through and earned a lot of trust from McLellan and assistant coach Trent Yawney, although some of the underlying numbers weren\u2019t as encouraging. For a young defenseman, though, Johansson can continue to grow into being a steady puck-mover, and his ability to play either side is a real asset.<\/p>\n
Going into the season like this would once again ask a lot of Johansson and Ben Chiarot, but absent an upgrade from outside, this looks like the obvious top four.<\/p>\n
As for the third pair, some will be itching to see new addition Bernard-Docker on the right side, and I\u2019ll get to that later in this piece. But in sheltered minutes last season, Justin Holl did turn in an expected goals share of 50 percent for the season, and it was even better under McLellan. That goes against a lot of the narratives around him. The actual goals share was a different story, which is where the frustration stems from \u2014 and of course, that is the number that counts on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n
But I wouldn\u2019t be quite so quick to write off Holl as an extra. He\u2019ll still be in plenty of games for Detroit this year.<\/p>\n
An alternate look<\/p>\n
Elmer S\u00f6derblom<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Dylan Larkin<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Lucas Raymond<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alex DeBrincat<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Marco Kasper<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Patrick Kane<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Michael Rasmussen<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Andrew Copp<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Mason Appleton<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
James van Riemsdyk<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
J.T. Compher<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Carter Mazur<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jonatan Berggren<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Chiarot<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Moritz Seider<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
John Gibson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simon Edvinsson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Albert Johansson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Cam Talbot<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Erik Gustafsson<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Jacob Bernard-Docker<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Justin Holl<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Here\u2019s a different way of approaching those same decisions, and there\u2019s a real argument to be made that this could be a better overall construction.<\/p>\n
For starters, van Riemsdyk goes from the top line into a depth role more in line with his average ice time last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was effective in that kind of role, and for a big body of his age, maybe it will turn out to be the best way to use him.<\/p>\n
That leaves a hole up top, and in this scenario, it\u2019s S\u00f6derblom who will get that look. I did have some pace questions when S\u00f6derblom got some limited run with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond last season, but like van Riemsdyk, he brings a needed size element to that line and does so with considerable skill to boot. If the 24-year-old can take a step in the skating department over the summer, he might even offer a little higher upside because of his combination of size, hands and shot.<\/p>\n
The big difference, here, though, is in how Detroit will use Compher and Copp. I struggle with the idea of the Red Wings\u2019 top three centers all being left-handed, but we saw how effective Copp, Rasmussen and Christian Fischer were as a checking line in recent seasons, and Appleton could offer a similar look with the potential for a touch more offense, too.<\/p>\n
That would free up Compher to center the fourth line, still keeping van Riemsdyk with a veteran center who has offense in his game. I could have left Berggren on the right wing here as the playmaker on the line, but I also wanted to acknowledge that Mazur could make this team out of camp. He\u2019s had some rotten injury luck in recent years, but is still an intriguing young player who (when healthy) probably better suits a fourth-line identity than Berggren does and still brings scoring touch in the hard areas of the ice.<\/p>\n
This bottom six would have a clear checking line plus a fourth-line trio that has real scoring potential, and the bottom six as a whole would be harder to play against on paper.<\/p>\n