The Detroit Red Wings practice is underway at Little Caesars Arena, with three rookies occupying coveted spots.
The 23-man rosters are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 6, and the Wings are in position to demote two veterans to the minors if they clear waivers, which will be known at 2 p.m.
Placing defensemen Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson on waivers was done to make room for Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin Pellikka and Emmitt Finnie, who played so well during the exhibition season they forced the Wings’ hands.
At practice Monday, Brandsegg-Nygård skated on a line with Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher, and Finnie with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Sandin Pellikka mostly was partnered with Albert Johansson.
The other lines had Marco Kasper with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, and Michael Rasmussen with Elmer Söderblom and Mason Appleton. On defense, Moritz Seider was with Ben Chiarot and Simon Edvinsson with either Jacob Bernard-Docker or Travis Hamonic.
Brandsegg-Nygård (No. 15, 2024) – who turned 20 on Oct. 5 – made a convincing argument he should be in the lineup when the Wings open the regular season on Oct. 9 by being the best player throughout camp/exhibition season. He scored from near and far, went into spaces tight and dirty without any fear, and more than held his own.
Sandin Pellikka (No. 17, 2023) showed he is a deft puck handler who thinks the game at a high level. He’s only 20 years old, so there’ll be growing pains as he develops his defensive game, but he has a skill set the Wings badly need on the back end. Sandin Pellikka ran the second power play in practice, with Compher, Copp, Brandsegg-Nygård and Kasper.
Finnie (No. 201, 2023), also 20, held his own next to Larkin and Raymond on the top line. The one wrench here is that James van Riemsdyk – who rightfully opted to stay in Minnesota with his newborn twins – missed nearly all of camp and all eight exhibition games. The 36-year-old is certainly a well-known quantity – think net-front presence – but he’s someone who in theory could fit with Larkin and Raymond.
Van Riemsdyk and Jonatan Berggren were extras.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her books: “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of Hockeytown,” and “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings rosters are due today and here’s who is paired at practice
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
