from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

The Red Wings wrap up what was billed as a competitive preseason with four games in a four nights, starting Wednesday in Pittsburgh (7 p.m., no TV). But it’s clear Hirose has wrapped up a spot on the second line, with Andreas Athanasiou.

With Hirose’s ability to facilitate and Athanasiou’s finishing touch, it could be a nice complement to the top line of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, providing decent secondary scoring.

Coach Jeff Blashill has been using Valtteri Filppula with Athanasiou, who’s missed some time the past few days with a minor tweak, to see how the combination clicks. He said he might go back to Frans Nielsen, who’s also missed the past few days with a minor injury, on that line when the regular season starts.

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