The Detroit Red Wings have went 1-1 since the last stock exchange, as the winning streak finally came to an end in Wednesday’s loss to the Predators.
With just two games, the sample size isn’t too big for this week’s iteration of the stock exchange, but there were still plenty of storylines to follow. Let’s see who’s trending up, down and holding steady.
Trending Up
Moritz Seider
Seider was the best of Detroit’s rookies this week. He scored his second overtime goal of the season against the New York Islanders, ripping a rocket of a one-timer in to secure victory. He also tacked on an assist against the Predators.
Red Wings fans drew a collective sigh of relief when the team account tweeted out a video of Seider skating at morning practice. Not only is he one of the best players in Detroit right now, he’s at a position that is starting to get pretty thin on the roster. Losing Seider would be a devastating blow to the blue line.
Seider is one of the most important pieces currently on the roster, and every week he just reinforces that notion. The young defenseman’s stock is somehow still on the rise.
Filip Hronek
Hronek is another defenseman with surging stock. He’s rebounding from a mediocre year, seemingly rejuvenated by a different role and a new pair-mate (Nick Leddy). The young defenseman looks comfortable in his role as a top-four defenseman; he’s one of the most consistent defenders on the roster, and he has a good combination of slight offensive upside (second most points among defenseman on the team) and a strong defensive skillset.
Hronek nabbed a goal against the Islanders, his second of the season. And no, it wasn’t on an empty net. It’s nice to see Fil rewarded with one, as it reflects the solid stretch of play he’s having.
Trending Down
Danny DeKeyser
DeKeyser made his return from COVID protocol against the Predators Wednesday night, and boy, was it a rough homecoming. It’s unfortunate considering the circumstances, but DeKeyser just looks like a shell of his former self on the ice. He’s a step slow and just looks out of place on the roster, especially when paired with Seider.
DeKeyser’s stock is already pretty low, but it dipped further after the loss to Nashville. It’s going to be a rough few weeks if injures/COVID keeps Danny on the top-pairing.
Defensive Depth
I’m going to cheat here and go with a team issue instead of an individual player. Detroit’s thinning defensive lineup was especially evident in the loss to the Predators, as players like Dan Renouf and DeKeyser struggled while filling in the gaps on defense. Marc Staal is on COVID protocol, Gustav Lindstrom is hurt and Troy Stecher is still injured. The next few weeks are going to be rough on the backend, especially considering the quality of the upcoming competition.
Holding Steady
Lucas Raymond
Raymond couldn’t quite find his way to the scoresheet against the Islanders and the Preds. However, it wasn’t necessarily because of poor play, as he was still one of the better forwards on the ice both nights (Saturday he seemed a bit invisible, but so was the entire offense – Detroit managed only 16 shots on goal). Raymond didn’t do anything incredible this week, but he still leads the team in points and his stock is still strong.
Pius Suter
After a mediocre start to the season, Suter has really been solid centering Detroit’s second line. He collected two assists in the two games, and he now has more points than both of his line mates (Filip Zadina and Robby Fabbri). Suter hasn’t been a world-beater or anything special, but he is fulfilling his given role as a competent middle-six center.