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Duff: Enough. Time For Red Wings to Ride the Kids Into the Future

Days of signing B list vets should be done

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marco kasper, red wings
Marco Kasper has been solid in two games with the Red Wings.

If we’ve learned anything about the Detroit Red Wings over these past two victories, it’s that the kids are all right.



Winning twice to balance their record on the season at 3-3, the Red Wings were relying on much of the club’s future to rectify the present. Center Marco Kasper played some solid minutes while picking up his first NHL point in Saturday’s win at Nashville.

Tuesday, as they were clinging to a 1-0 lead at the New York Islanders, Detroit coach Derek Lalonde was deploying rookie Kasper and second-year defenseman Simon Edvinsson to help kill off a late penalty.

“I don’t think it’s an accident we got a little spark here with Marco coming up,” Lalonde said. “Really balances our lines.”

Kasper was working with the Red Wings power play in preparation for Thursday’s home game against the New Jersey Devils.

It isn’t mere coincidence that the Wings are looking like a much better team the past two games. And it isn’t merely the wins making the difference.

The kids are delivering the goods.

Edvinsson is now skating in the top defensive pairing alongside 2022-23 Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider.

“Two really tough games on the road in which we are protecting a lead late and he’s right in it with the big minutes,” Lalonde said. ‘(Tuesday) night he almost played the entire goalie pull and he was excellent.

“It’s a good sign for us.”

Berggren Among Best Red Wings

He might not have a boat load of points to show for it, but analytics are displaying that winger Jonatan Berggren is grading out among the most offensively dangerous Detroit players.

“I just think Berggren is playing at a really high level right now,” Lalonde said. “I think he’s driving some lines.

“In some of our underlying numbers he’s leading our team in chances produced, chance differential. So that’s a positive. That’s him creating.”

Ask yourself this – would the Red Wings be better off today had they gone with Berggren last season in the fourth line, second power play role given to journeyman veteran Daniel Sprong?

When rookie defenseman Albert Johansson has played, he’s played solidly. Not spectacularly, but definitely solid. Certainly he’s proven more trustworthy to this point than Erik Gustafsson, another journeyman veteran addition.

Throughout the era with Steve Yzerman as GM, there’s no questioning that the club has grown incrementally better. But it’s been in very small increments each season.

Now, no one is saying Detroit would be a playoff team now had the club not chosen to continue to follow the Ken Holland pattern of letting prospects grow overripe in the lower leagues. But would they be further along in the overall development curve of this rebuild?

Here’s the thing about treading water. You either get rescued, or you eventually drown. Either way, it’s not getting you anywhere.

It’s time to stop stop-gapping with B-list veterans. Let the youngsters play and the chips fall where they may.

All we are saying is give the kids a chance.