What’s The Grind Line? Apart from the once-famous line of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, and either Joe Kocur or Darren McCarty, The Grind Line is also The Hockey Writers’ weekly column about the Detroit Red Wings. Devin Little, Jake Rivard, and Tony Wolak are the muckers who makeup THW’s forechecking unit and sound off on Red Wings topics.
Annual Prospect Tournament: Done. Training Camp: Check. Preseason: Underway.
The 2019-20 season is upon us and the Red Wings have about 30 players competing for 23 roster spots. Among those fighting for ice time are Detroit’s two most recent first-round picks, Filip Zadina and Moritz Seider. Of the two, Zadina has the best chance to stick around.
Steve Yzerman and Jeff Blashill have made it clear that no one’s job is safe, save still-alternate captain Dylan Larkin, his linemates Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, the ever-dangerous Andreas Athanasiou, and Jimmy Howard. Apart from those five players, everyone else needs to prove their value.
In this week’s edition of The Grind Line, The Hockey Writers’ Red Wings coverage team projects their opening night roster based on what we’ve seen so far. Be sure to share your lineup in the comments section below.
Tony Wolak
| LW | C | RW |
| Anthony Mantha | Dylan Larkin | Tyler Bertuzzi |
| Andreas Athanasiou | Valtteri Filppula | Taro Hirose |
| Adam Erne | Frans Nielsen | Christoffer Ehn |
| Darren Helm | Luke Glendening | Justin Abdelkader |
| Jacob de la Rose |
| LD | RD |
| Danny DeKeyser | Filip Hronek |
| Patrik Nemeth | Mike Green |
| Trevor Daley | Madison Bowey |
| Jonathan Ericsson | Joe Hicketts |
First things first: Let’s review who didn’t make the cut. Seider, Zadina, Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen, Evgeny Svechnikov, Ryan Kuffner, Dennis Cholowski, Oliwer Kaski, and Joe Hicketts could all use some time with the Grand Rapids Griffins for a variety of reasons. Chances are, most of those players will suit up for the Red Wings at some point this season. Injuries and trades are guaranteed to create open ice time in Hockeytown.
(On a related note, the Griffins are going to be absolutely stacked this season. Watch out for Ben Simon’s high-powered team, who could contend for the Calder Cup this spring.)
Up front, there shouldn’t be any surprises. The Red Wings tipped their lines a little bit going into the annual Red-White scrimmage with the trios split between the two squads.
However, I don’t see Zadina making the Red Wings when the regular season opens up. He just hasn’t dominated any of his preseason games, played mostly against other minor leaguers and a few NHLers.
Between him and Christoffer Ehn—both of whom are exempt from waivers—I expect them to spend some time in Grand Rapids while others take their turn in Detroit. Svechnikov could get his legs back under him, dominate the AHL, and earn a call-up. The same goes for Michael Rasmussen, who could prove he’s too good to be stuck in the AHL.
On defense, none of the bottom-four blueliners are waivers-exempt, so they’ll stick around unless Yzerman can deal one of the veterans. I’d expect the four to rotate through the bottom pairing, with Blashill and Doug Houda dressing the two who are performing the best at any given time.
Related: State of the Red Wings’ Rebuild
Jake Rivard
| LW | C | RW |
| Anthony Mantha | Dylan Larkin | Tyler Bertuzzi |
| Andreas Athanasiou | Valtteri Filppula | Taro Hirose |
| Adam Erne | Frans Nielsen | Filip Zadina |
| Darren Helm | Luke Glendening | Justin Abdelkader |
| Christoffer Ehn |
| LD | RD |
| Danny DeKeyser | Filip Hronek |
| Patrik Nemeth | Mike Green |
| Trevor Daley | Oliwer Kaski |
| Jonathan Ericsson | Madison Bowey |
As much as Red Wings fans would like to dream of a lineup comprised of fresh faces in a fully-fledged youth movement, the team’s current contract situation begs to differ. We’ll likely see more of the same, albeit a few fresh faces that may or may not remain throughout the year. If one of Zadina, Hirose, or Kaski falters for a moment, they’ll likely trade places with any of the players that may excel in Grand Rapids (which seems likely considering the strength of the Griffins’ roster).
The Red Wings’ first line is an easy lock. Larkin, Mantha, and Bertuzzi soar to monumentally high heights when they play together. The rest of the team’s offense, on the other hand, will likely be as a mishmash of fresh faces and seasoned veterans. Barring impressive performances from Hirose and Zadina, it’s more than likely that the team won’t leap off the page offensively. Expect standout seasons from Larkin, Mantha, and Bertuzzi, solid seasons from Athanasiou, and decent-if-not-very-good seasons from Erne, Hirose, and Zadina.
Recent signee Kaski is the newest face on the defensive end. He’s experienced, mature, and owns a cannon of a shot. If he makes the roster out of the preseason, he’ll likely quarterback one of the Red Wings’ power play units, helping to boost their shots and scoring opportunities. He’d likely nudge out Ericsson, a frequent healthy scratch last year as he mans the blue line. He’ll be partnered with Daley, a defensive veteran with years of experience he can learn from.
While it may seem that very little has changed in the roster, three rookies fighting to make a name for themselves speaks well for the future of the Red Wings.
Devin Little
| LW | C | RW |
| Anthony Mantha | Dylan Larkin | Tyler Bertuzzi |
| Andreas Athanasiou | Valtteri Filppula | Taro Hirose |
| Adam Erne | Frans Nielsen | Evgeny Svechnikov |
| Darren Helm | Luke Glendening | Justin Abdelkader |
| Christoffer Ehn | Jacob de la Rose |
| LD | RD |
| Danny DeKeyser | Filip Hronek |
| Patrik Nemeth | Mike Green |
| Jonathan Ericsson | Trevor Daley |
| Madison Bowey |
I’ll begin by noting the players left off the roster and where they stand. Given the injury history of Green, Ericsson, and Daley, reinforcements will be needed on D. The first two to come up in that case would be Cholowski and Kaski. Pending strong performances by them and movement in terms of injured-reserve or trades, they could each carve out permanent spots on the roster. Bowey could also come into his own and lay claim to a spot.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget that Seider kid.
To begin the 2016-17 season, Mantha found himself in Grand Rapids with one mission: Dominate the AHL. After posting 10 points in 10 games, Mantha made the jump to Detroit and never looked back. I think the Red Wings’ top prospect, Zadina will follow a similar path.
After making positive strides in his first professional season, Zadina should start in Grand Rapids with domination on the mind. If he can assert himself at that level, he should quickly find himself in the NHL. Other notable players left off the roster are Rasmussen and Veleno, who will likely work on becoming a big-league centers in the AHL.
With this opening night roster, you’ve got more of the same. Watching Hirose over the course of a full season will be interesting, and Svechnikov is very much in a make-it or break-it year. Beyond that, fans should know what to expect. You’ve got a fun first line, a potentially potent second line, an experimental third, and a grinding fourth.
Meet the new Wings. Same as the old Wings.