With Preseason Concluded, Red Wings Continue To Narrow Down Roster
By Nick Seguin
6 years agoThe Red Wings concluded their preseason Saturday night with a 3-2 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. For many players, it was the final step of their audition for the NHL stage. It was a roster full of young prospects as only two of the players who dressed had guaranteed roster spots (three if you count Mrazek’s half game). Now, with the regular season a mere three days away, the coaching staff has begun to shape their opening night roster.
Having already sent Dennis Cholowski to the WHL where he’ll play for the Prince George Cougars, the Wings have continued to fine tune their blueline by assigning Robbie Russo and Filip Hronek to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Russo went pointless through three preseason games, adding two shots. Last season, he played in 19 games with the Red Wings and had no points to show for it. He played the rest of the season with Grand Rapids where he put up 32 points in 58 regular season games and added another 7 points through 19 playoff games. He’s a stable defenseman, but he’s not much of an impact in the NHL due to his small frame and slow reaction time. He won’t be an NHL regular for this team.
As for Hronek, at nineteen years old, this 6’0” defenseman has a bright future. After putting up 61 points in 59 games for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL last season, Hronek joined the Griffins for 10 regular season games and two playoff games, putting up a goal and an assist. In this year’s preseason, he saw action in two games. He didn’t score any points, but he showed flashes of his great skating and steady hands. He’s not ready for the NHL yet, but this kid’s got a ton of potential and will be a regular on the Red Wings blueline one day.
In addition to the above cuts, P.A. Parenteau was released from his PTO. The former 20-goal scorer still has a lot of gas in his tank, but he just wasn’t gelling with the Red Wings this preseason. He played in four games and didn’t record any points. He’s a good hockey player and was definitely noticeable when he was on the ice, but the Wings just don’t have space for another veteran bottom-6 forward.
Which brings us to David Booth. Also on a PTO, the 33-year-old winger is trying to make a return to the NHL after a year abroad. Booth has got over 500 NHL games under his belt, but I don’t see a spot for him on this roster. The fact that he wasn’t also released concerns me a little bit. This is totally the type of move Holland and co. would make to add character to the dressing room. I have no doubt that Booth can up team morale, but at this point the Wings are desperate for skill, especially in their bottom-6, and there are players in Grand Rapids who are knocking at the door. We’ll check back in on the Booth situation tomorrow.
So far, these three cuts have been the right moves for Detroit. There have also been some notable non-cuts. For one, Martin Frk has been told to get an apartment in Detroit, month-to-month, indicating that he’ll be on the opening night roster. After bouncing around on the waiver wire last year, Frk had a monster year with the Griffins, putting up 50 points in 65 regular season games and an additional 15 points in 16 playoff games. He’s really opened a lot of people’s eyes in his preseason performance, scoring three points in five games and unleashing his deadly slap shot on the league. He’ll be a welcome presence on the Detroit powerplay.
The other notable non-cut so far has been Joe Hicketts. The 5’8” defenseman has been a welcome addition to Detroit’s preseason blueline and has made a strong case for himself to be on the opening night roster. He’s put up four points, all assists, and ten shots in four games as he fights for a roster spot on a crowded blueline. With injuries to Niklas Kronwall already keeping him out of games, there is no doubt that Hicketts will get a chance to play for the Red Wings at some point this season. The fact that he wasn’t assigned to the Griffins with Russo and Hronek is a sign that Detroit’s coaching staff is at least considering keeping him on. This would force the team to make some other moves, such as introducing Ryan Sproul to the waiver wire, but Hicketts may have more upside based on the preseason we’ve seen.
The next couple of days will certainly be interesting as the Red Wings have to make decisions on Jared Coreau, Ryan Sproul, Joe Hicketts, and David Booth. Not to mention Andreas Athanasiou, who is still without a contract. Stay tuned for all of the excitement as we gear up for opening night at Little Caesars Arena this Thursday, October 5th, against the Minnesota Wild.
UPDATE:
Well, that was fast! A mere twenty minutes ago, as I was writing this piece, more roster moves have been announced:
I fully anticipate Street, Lorito, McIlrath, and Lashoff to clear. These guys are career AHLers and, even thought they saw some time with the Wings last season (a combined 18 games), they are all pretty far down the depth chart that they won’t get regular roster spots.
Jared Coreau is one to watch for as he impressed Wings coaching staff and management in his 14 games last season. The team felt so confident in Coreay that they were willing to lose Petr Mrazek in this offseason’s expansion draft. Personally, I anticipate him clearing, but there might be a team out there who is looking for a back-up who just backstopped his AHL team to a Calder Cup.
The other notable move announced today was that the team is assigning their ninth overall pick Michael Rasmussen to the Tri-City Americans of the WHL.
Many doubted the pick in June, but Rasmussen made quite the impression this preseason. He scored four goals in five games and added 14 shots on goal. Many thought that he should be held up for the nine games before the team has to commit him to the roster, but Rasmussen is only 18-years-old and could use the time in the WHL to develop further. The team is better off taking their time with him, but he’ll be a serious contender next year.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about this latest round of moves is that Joe Hicketts still haven’t been sent down to Grand Rapids. Could this be his chance?
UPDATE 2:
It’s a busy day in Detroit! There have been more updates on the roster as the team released Colin Campbell, Matthew Ford, and Dominic Shine from their tryout contracts. This isn’t really big news as none of these players were expected to make the team anyways. The more juicy announcement was the re-assignment of several other players to Grand Rapids.
So that’s it. Joe’s Wild Ride comes to an end. Of this latest crop of young players re-assigned to the AHL, Hicketts was the only one who stood any chance of really making the roster. Many of us wanted it, but there just isn’t room for him on opening night with Niklas Kronwall expected to be ready. It’s also a sign that the team is not willing to waive Ryan Sproul just yet.
As for the others, with the exception of Tom McCollum, they are a young bunch. Forwards Axel Holmstrom, Dylan Sadowy, and Dominic Turgeon are all 21-years-old. All three of these players have bottom-6 potential, but Holmstrom probably has the highest ceiling. He played in five preseason games and recorded one assist. Sadowy played in three games and Turgeon played in one game. Neither had any points to show for it. They’ll go back to Grand Rapids and wait for their opportunity.
Defensemen Dan Renouf and Vili Saarijarvi played a combined three games and recorded zero points. The 20-year-old Saarijarvi put up 31 points in 34 games for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL last year. He added 15 points in the Steelheads’ 20 game playoff run. He’s an exciting player who will continue to develop in his first season with Grand Rapids.
Renouf played in a single game for the Red Wings last year late in the season. He’s a shutdown defenseman who does not put up big offensive numbers, even in the AHL. He only saw action in one preseason game and, at 23-years-old, will return to Grand Rapids and wait for his opportunity. Unfortunately for him, he was surpassed by Hicketts on the depth chart and young defenseman like Saarijarvi and Hronek are quickly developing into NHL-ready defensemen.
With this latest set of moves, the Red Wings roster has been reduced to 33 players, including Evgeny Svechnikov and Luke Witkowski. They’ve got another 10 cuts to make before their final 23 man roster has to be submitted by 5:00 P.M. EST on Tuesday, October 3rd.
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