Detroit Red Wings

Projecting the Detroit Red Wings Lineup for the Start of the NHL Season

Published

3 years ago

August 1, 2021

Filip Hronek and Filip Zadina will be key contributors for the Detroit Red Wings when their season opens in October

General manager Steve Yzerman has made it clear that younger players such as Joe Veleno, Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren will have to earn their place on the Detroit Red Wings. It won’t be awarded to them because they are top prospects.

Maybe Veleno, or Raymond, or Jonatan Berggren will be impressive enough to force their way on the team. The team has a 23-person roster without them, but there’s almost always a training camp injury. They could also make a difficult decision about Frans Nielsen. More likely, Yzerman would ask them to go to Grand Rapids on a promise or hope they would be called up as soon as there is an injury

But for now, Detroit Hockey Now isn’t projecting them in our first depth chart. Based on what Tyler Bertuzzi said Saturday and what Yzerman said earlier in the week, we are also projecting both Larkin and Bertuzzi ready for the season.

Here is our Detroit 2021-22 Red Wings roster projection on August 1

Forward Lines

Top line: Bertuzzi, Larkin and Filip Zadina

Second line: Jakub Vrana, Pius Suter and Robbie Fabbri

Third line: Adam Erne, Michael Rasmussen and Vladislav Namestnikov

Fourth line: Givani Smith, Mitchell Stephens, Sam Gagner

Extra player: Nielsen

Comment: If Veleno makes the team, he could be the No. 3 center and Rasmussen can move to the wing. Raymond would play in the top six if he makes the team. Berggren might be the sleeper here. He’s already 21 and played very well in the Swedish Elite League last season, registering 45 points in 49 games. The only issue: he’s small, 5-foot 8, 175 pounds

Defensive Pairings

Danny Dekeyser and Filip Hronek

Nick Leddy and Moritz Seider

Marc Staal and Gustav Lindstrom

Extra players: Jordan Oesterle and Troy Stecher

Comments: It could just as easily be Stecher as Lindstrom in that third pairing. It will depend on how well they are playing in October. We expect Oesterle to push Dekeyser. The Red Wings may start Seider with Staal until he learns about the teams and the league.