Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Storylines And Observations

10/03/2022 at 7:55am EDT

from Nate Brown of Detroit Hockey Now,

With the final four games of the preseason, here are some storylines to follow as the Red Wings near opening night.

#1: The Continuing Ascent of Elmer Soderblom
Soderblom has seen major minutes, playing in the first three games and notching a couple points in the process. With each passing game, Soderblom has looked better. Over the next four games, will the forward known for his 6’8 frame tower over the others and find his way on the opening night roster.

#2: What about Simon Edvinsson?
Edvinsson has been solid, but he hasn’t made the stellar case that Moritz Seider had last season. Whether it’s fair or not, Edvinsson will be held up against Seider until his spot on the roster is assured. His teammates, including new Red Wings netminder Ville Husso, have liked the early returns.

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from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

The Wings went 2-2 in their first week, and here are four observations based on those performances:

Lalonde's message getting through

The Wings have surrendered five even-strength goals through 240 minutes of play. Both Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic, the tandem earmarked to carry the Wings in net, have played well, but they've also benefitted from the team in front of them. Husso made 16 stops in his first start, playing half of Friday's 2-0 loss to the Capitals. But he didn't see more than a couple of grade-A scoring chances. This is what general manager Steve Yzerman wanted to see, and why Lalonde was hired: To make the Wings a better team defensively. It's an encouraging sign for the season ahead.

Raymond and Seider

The tough part about having successful rookie seasons is having to do it again. But both Calder Trophy-winner Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, who finished fourth in voting, have looked excellent. Raymond had a goal and two assists in Saturday's 3-0 victory at Chicago, stealing pucks and creating scoring chances. Seider has looked really good paired with Ben Chiarot; Lalonde isn't set on who'll partner with whom, but those two seem to click. Chiarot is a smart player who uses his stick well, helping free Seider to get involved offensively, which he loves to do. Sophomore seasons can be tough — Dylan Larkin struggled in his second year, but Raymond and Seider are on a much deeper team than Larkin was after his head-turning debut.

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