I’m actually going back to watch all of period 1, some quick thoughts as the wraps up. I’ll leave my pregame below. Larkin, Staal, Vrana and Berggren all sat this one out. Hopefully most of this is precautionary, but starting the year down Larkin and Vrana could make for some rough sledding early on. Vrana is now slated to see a specialist on Monday, and that’s not good news. The realization that Larkin, Bertuzzi and Fabbri all had season interrupting injuries last year, the top 6 gets thin quick. That could force a top line with Suter, Zadina and (?). My pick at this point would be Raymond, but it could end up as Ryan with Veleno coming in to a lower line. If we lose 3 or 4 forwards, Veleno, Raymond and Berggren (if healthy) could all see significant ice time.
If I didn’t know that Lucas Raymond was 19 and new to North America, I’d think he was a lock for the big club. I know there are cries of propriety from fans and press as well as far as it comes to Veleno. Raymond’s skating and ability to create and his shot just stand out. Most of you want to see him put on weight in the AHL, and he definitely needs to get stronger. If injury keeps Vrana off the roster going into the season, Veleno could well get the call as a wing. But, at a glance, if I was picking just based on offensive prowess I’d be picking Raymond. Veleno is stronger, better “utility” player and he’s paid dues. I just continue to be surprised by Raymond and what he brings to the ice. His chemistry with Suter is also impressive already.
Rasmussen looked good early on. He’s strong in the dot, and skating hard. He may have worked hard at “center duties” throughout the summer and be able to lockdown that spot. We need someone to step up at the dot. Glenny was one of the top faceoff guys in the league and it will be missed. While there’s debate on how much faceoffs help, you can watch the game flow drastically affected when you don’t have control. The power play and PK rely on that center position. Faceoff plays lead to goals on the power play for the elite teams. Faceoff wins on the PK with a clear kills about 15 seconds at a time.
Mitchell Stephens scored 2 even strength goals for team Red. The first one was a nice breakaway and beat Nedeljkovic clean. You always notice a right shot on this team (not many). One of the reports on Stephens is that he has a full toolkit, but lacks confidence. Team White had goals from Dominik Shine and the tying tally came from Pius Suter. Suter’s tally saw him go through 2 defenders (including Seider) and make a nice move. Not completely end to end, but close. Looking back at his Chicago highlights, there are goals that he created apart from his all star wingers. Stephens really gets to the front of the net. They continue to talk about him in the 4th line center spot, but I think he could climb to the third with he and Rasmussen splitting center duties. Ras looks to have honed his faceoff skills.
One player that just can’t seem to break in is Hirose. He was near a point per game in Grand Rapids. In games like this, he’s a passing machine. He just seems to get lost in the “Bigs”. If he can find the right opportunity, maybe he can replicate some of his early success that saw him with a nice point streak after he left MSU.
There was a 1 minute power play for each team. Both were pretty bad, although team White had the better looks. Brattstrom seems to have returned to pre-injury form that we saw in the prospects tournament. Faceoffs, I can’t say it enough. Faceoffs on the power play are important. Both teams lost on their opening O zone faceoff and it kills 10-15 seconds. Team White was able to establish zone play on the second half of their man advantage, but Brattstrom shut the door. Veleno lost both O zone faceoffs for team Red and the puck went all the way down both times. I’ve been fairly adamant that, if he makes the big squad this year, it will be on the wing. Nick Leddy made some nice defensive plays, and was encouraging to see him out there.
Both teams scored once in the second, Stephens looked like he may have had opportunity for that third tally but couldn’t get it done. I’ve already mentioned Suter’s tally. Really nice entry and skate through two defenders. The end saw a 5 player shootout. Only team white was able to score with 2 players breaking through. Lucas Raymond had a beautiful shot off the post and in, and Namestnikov had a nice tally. Brattstrom shut the door and left team Red shaking their heads.
Today’s scrimmage was that little shot of reality. We’re missing Vrana, for sure. The team doesn’t have 2 squads worth of NHL talent. Once it comes together after the preseason, the team will be a better team. But, at this point, this isn’t a post season contender. You’re not going to get past Tampa, Toronto, Boston and Florida at this point. The power play still doesn’t really have an identity except for the fact that they’re not doing drop passes. Zone entry is still bad, even against their own pk. Hopefully there will be an in season boost. The lines don’t have chemistry yet. This had a very broken feeling to it.
If I pick up any other thoughts from the first I’ll go ahead and add them. Other than that, Wednesday sees Detroit go to Chicago with a home game on Thursday vs Buffalo. For sure, Thursday’s game will be streamed. We’ll see if Wednesday will have a feed available.
Pregame
A little bad news as Vrana finally made it to training camp, but was hurt within about 10 minutes (shoulder). I admire him trying to make a go of it quickly, but a 15 hour flight is enough to make anyone a bit stiff. Hopefully this will be a quick recovery. The longest flight I’ve ever gone on was Detroit to London. My step dad was from England, so we went several times growing up. Even as a kid that was a rough haul.
We’ll see how the lines come together today. If Vrana can’t go, I wonder if they’ll keep Zadina with Bertuzzi and Larkin. Apparently Zadina has found his shot early in camp and looks good. Raymond is another that, during the 2 games he played for the prospects tournament, he gets to the net. Veleno has a chance to make a big impression going from here into the preseason.
More than anything, I will be watching the blue line. My wife, one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, had a line regarding raisins that I still find hilarious. “Why would I want a dry, shriveled up old grape when I can get a brand-spanking new one?!!!” The Blue line is “brand spanking new” in a lot of ways. Mo has looked good practicing one - timers. Leddy is a fresh voice which everyone hopes will energize the power play. Oesterle can play in any situation. Stecher and Staal had some good chemistry last year.
Special teams, although its Wings vs Wings, I hope to see structure. Some definitive look that creates opportunities on the power play and stifles them on the PK. Zone entries were so bad last year, it makes the faceoff on the man advantage that much more important. Those set faceoff plays are a huge advantage for teams that can pull them off in the attacking zone.
I hope you enjoy today’s broadcast. It was announced yesterday that Red Wings TV will be hosting most (if not all) the pre season action. As long as that’s the case, I’ll post those streams on the blog.
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