Vrana, Fabbri, Zadina, Bertuzzi

[Pop Zeus]

Four Red Wings forwards are nearing their return to the lineup.

That likely means at least 3 Red Wings need to come out of the lineup.
Here are the candidates for coming out.
Let's say 4 guys need to come out.

Jonathan Berggren - Can go back to GR. Gone a bit cold
Elmer Soderblom - Can go back to GR
Joe Veleno - Can go back to GR
Pius Suter - Can sit in the press box
Filip Zadina - Dude was a healthy scratch before the injury
Dominik Kubalik - 14 games 1-4-5 -9.

I think Soderblom/Berggren are headed to Grand Rapids.
There's 1 and two.

I bet Fester gives Kubalik a bit more rope.

So then it's 3 men - Veleno, Suter and Zadina - fighting for 2 jobs.

[Slapper]

Four Red Wings forwards are nearing their return to the lineup.

That likely means at least 3 Red Wings need to come out of the lineup.
Here are the candidates for coming out.
Let's say 4 guys need to come out.

Jonathan Berggren - Can go back to GR. Gone a bit cold
Elmer Soderblom - Can go back to GR
Joe Veleno - Can go back to GR
Pius Suter - Can sit in the press box
Filip Zadina - Dude was a healthy scratch before the injury
Dominik Kubalik - 14 games 1-4-5 -9.

I think Soderblom/Berggren are headed to Grand Rapids.
There's 1 and two.

I bet Fester gives Kubalik a bit more rope.

So then it's 3 men - Veleno, Suter and Zadina - fighting for 2 jobs.

I think you are pretty much spot on. Bergen goes down and is first call up Soderblom is 2nd. I also think It’s a fight between Zadina and Suter for the 12 spot and I don’t see Zadina winning it. But I also feel there’s trades coming.

[DocBrown]

Wings are stuck with Zadina through 2025 @ $1.8M. So he'll be given every opportunity to succeed.

[Zattaman]

It'll be a difficult decision to to send down Berggren.

Among players with 10 or more games played, Berggren is 5th among rookies in points-per-game.

Only Perfetti, Quinn, Maccelli (who?), and Beniers are ahead.

I can see Suter rotating with Zadina.
Soderblom will go down once Fabbri is ready.
And, Veleno/potential injury for Bertuzzi.

We're 18th in GF per game and 19th on the PP. Hard to overlook Berggren's contribution in both areas.

Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if Yzerman pulled a "Holland" and did to Berggren what Holland did to Nyquist.

[DelHowLich]

Vrana held pointless in 1st AHL game:

https://detroithockeynow.com/2022/12/29 ... red-wings/

[DelHowLich]

There needs to be a trade before the TDL to relieve the log jam.

[Costanza]

Lucas Raymond has 2 goals in the last 20 games. The press box might not hurt him for a few games.

[Barbrady]

Wings are stuck with Zadina through 2025 @ $1.8M. So he'll be given every opportunity to succeed.

That salary isn't particularly difficult to walk away from.

[Machine]

Wings are stuck with Zadina through 2025 @ $1.8M. So he'll be given every opportunity to succeed.

That salary isn't particularly difficult to walk away from.

Yeah if it comes to that
I think he’ll get a chance but how much rope does he get

[hiramnicak]

Points are everything, right? The Red Wings have scored 21 in the past five games (5.2 gpg), through which:

5pts Soderblom
5pts Veleno
3pts Berggren
3pts Kubalik
2pts Suter
1pts Erne

I'd be curious to see Zadina with Veleno and Berggren, honestly. I think Soderblom has some work to do still and would rather he was playing in Grand Rapids, but he's been producing. Veleno and Berggren have outplayed the vets, gotten their cheese, and neither of them deserves to be relegated, but waiver exemption probably forces Yzerman's hand at some point. It sounds like Fester wants to give Zadina another chance and appreciates his work ethic, so I'm guessing he grabs a spot.