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Detroit beat Pittsburgh 4-2 in preseason action last night. Veleno had his strongest outing so far, and many of you are hoping to see him on the squad on opening night. Raymond and Veleno will likely have their last opportunity to make a case to wear the Winged Wheel for the season opener tomorrow night against Buffalo.


Today’s waivers saw Detroit place both Witkowski and Renouf on the list. Both will be assigned to Grand Rapids after clearing. Renouf has actually had some decent looks in the past few games. There’s that small tinge of a concern that he could be grabbed by a club needing some defensive depth. More than likely, he’ll make it through. Sonny Milano is also on the list. It’s interesting to see how some players go through the ringer after being highly valued prospects. With a 1.7 mm salary, someone could well take a chance on the young forward.

Across the pond, Simon Edvinsson added another assist to his season tally while skating a season high 21:31 against Farjestad as Frolunda won a 6-5 decision in Overtime. He now sits with 4 assists in 8 games and his TOI is averaging just below 20 minutes. The 18 year old continues to gain the trust of the coaching staff.

Fellow Wings prospect Albert Johansson played on the other side and also netted an assist on the night while skating 15:38. Johansson signed his ELC earlier this past summer before being loaned to Farjestad. He has 4 assists in 6 games and is averaging 17:20. It makes Edvinsson’s ice time (though on a different club) even more impressive as the 20 year old Johansson is highly thought of in the Wings organization. Both of these defensive prospects could end up in North America next season.

Final thoughts on Detroit’s opening night roster. The top 6 will consist of Larkin, Bertuzzi, Suter, Zadina, Fabbri and (?). There’s still really only one spot in that group. In looking at a creative winger, I still spot Raymond in the group above Veleno. If that’s the case, Veleno is looking at third line minutes in Detroit versus top line minutes in Grand Rapids. Unless there’s another injury in the top group, that’s going to make it tougher for JV to stick. Would he be better off with 10 minutes in Detroit per night, or 20+ minutes in GR? Do they want him to continue working at the center position, or will they move him to the wing? If Rasmussen is still hurt for the opener, does he slot into that line ready to head back to GR once the big centerman is back?

Last night’s performance certainly made JV look to be a stronger all around candidate than Ryan. It’s now going to be about minutes and usage. Tomorrow night’s contest could be one last glance and audition. Regardless, if Veleno does head down to Grand Rapids, he’ll be at the top of the call up list. He’s done a lot to give the coaching staff something to think about. It could well come down to he or Raymond for that final top line spot left open by Vrana.

Check out my previous blogs:

Detroit beat Pittsburgh 4-2

Bertuzzi made his preseason debut against Pittsburgh.

Columbus beat Detroit 4-2

Wings vs Blue Jackets pregame

Hurrican Raymond

Detroit lost an exciting preseason game to Chicago.

Detroit vs Chicago pregame

Detroit lost to Pittsburgh 5-1

Wings vs Jackets post game

Wings and Blue Jacktes pregame

Wings beat Buffalo 6-2

Vrana to miss most of the season.

Wings vs Chicago pregame

”Twas the night before Red Wings

Red and White game

Training Camp Day 3

Interviews from Seider, Nedeljkovic and Erne

Training Camp day 2

Edvinsson gets assist in Frolunda loss

Day 1 of training camp

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