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Moritz Seider is, possibly, Detroit’s most exciting prospect. In the last post I went over some footage that showed the big right shot defenseman making a physical impact as he plays overseas. It’s a good sign for the future of the club.
I’ve been a lifelong Michigander. Far too soon, it will be my Bert-day (44th) and every year has been spent in this great state. My younger years were spent in a small town called Rockwood. There’s a water tower, a strip mall with a grocery store, some train tracks, and a fantastic hill for sledding (if it’s still there). I loved hearing the trains as a kid. At some point, you learned to lay your head against the rail and a friend would walk 50 or 60 feet away. He’d hit the rail with a stick and you could hear and feel it. In fact, it sounded a bit like the blasters from Star Wars. The steel was just a beautiful conductor of sound (in fact, the late great Les Paul made one of the first electric guitars out of a piece of rail. His mom convinced him to switch to wood by saying, ‘no singing cowboy is going to play a piece of train track’). This beautiful and melodic conductor could even tell you, from a good distance away, what was coming down the tracks.
Just like those childhood memories, I’ve been listening for signs of what the NHL’s return to play will look like. It’s piece-meal, hurry up and wait. Just as with the league financials, they send out “feelers” to test people’s responses and reactions. At this point, it seems that temporary bubbles will be set up. Teams will travel to said “bubble” and stay for a couple of weeks. My guess is 5 to 7 games in 14 days and then a return home for a respite. The “all Canadian” division isn’t set in stone, though the two week quarantine is in play for any teams that would go north of the border. In fact, a few Canadian players have been recalled from overseas to get started on their quarantine to be ready for camp.
A promising sign for Detroit will be the recall of Zadina, Hronek, Rasmussen and Brome. Yzerman is content to let them play as many games as possible with their current clubs. Once their number is called, you can be certain that the GM feels confident that the return to play is right around the corner. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at what those four players have been up to in their respective leagues.
Filip Zadina is having a nice season for Trinec in the Czech Extraliga with 8 goals and 6 assists (14 points) in 17 games. What I continue to see in his highlights is a quick release and well placed shots. Time and space are difficult to find in the NHL, and even last season (an eternity ago) he was already learning to get a shot off much more quickly and learning to battle for position.
Filip Hronek is at an impressive point per game clip with Mountfield HK. He’s accumulated 9 goals and 12 assists in 21 games. The 23 year old Dman continues to impress (though Zadina did get the better of him once). It’s a boon to the organization that he’s played, and played well, during this extended time off.
Michael Rasmussen is also at a point per game clip, playing for Graz99 with 5 goals and 11 assists in 16 games. Nothing would be more pleasant than to see the big centerman translate into a good 3rd line NHLer. He certainly knows his way around the front of the net from his time in jr, but (as was the critique for Mantha) needs to use his size to make life uncomfortable for the opposition and the goalies. He could be a good net front presence on a 2nd power play unit if the pieces can come together. You get the feeling that he’s running out of time to make the impression that will secure and NHL job.
Finally, Mathias Brome is playing for Orebro in the SHL and has 20 points in 22 games. Unfortunately he only has 4 goals (16 a). It seems like an eternity has gone by since multiple teams sought to bring him into the fold. It will all depend on chemistry as to where this left wing will find himself in Detroit. In my ponderings, Sam Gagner may be a good center option. Gagner still plays with decent pace, and on a depth line Brome may get some more favorable matchups while he adjusts to NHL ice.
Yzerman did a fairly nice overhaul on the roster in adding new forwards, defensemen, and a goalie. It will be exciting to see how the new group clicks, and what steps forward are being made. While the season seems destined to be sealed with a top 4 or 5 draft pick, any signs of development will be worth the watch.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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