Detroit — The Red Wings are opening the regular season on Friday at Little Caesars Arena against Montreal.
By 5 p.m. Monday, the Wings need to settle on the 23-man roster that’ll face the Canadiens. They took a major step toward settling on that roster Sunday by trimming 15 players.
Notably, forward Jonatan Berggren and defenseman Simon Edvinsson, two prospects who appeared to be on the cusp of making the Wings’ opening-night roster, were assigned to Grand Rapids.
That left the Wings with 32 players still on the roster, including forwards Elmer Soderblom and Joe Veleno, two young players vying for spots.
Veleno played 66 games with the Wings last season. But Veleno can be sent to minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids without being exposed to waivers, making him vulnerable to being sent down if a logjam exists on the NHL roster.
Soderblom is a 6-foot-8 power forward who has been impressive with his deft hands and ability to use his size to an advantage.
All the talented prospects, along with the free-agent additions by general manager Steve Yzerman, have created noticeable depth and created a truly competitive environment for spots in the lineup.
“I’m happy that we’re having these tough conversations,” coach Derek Lalonde said late last week of the roster decisions.
Players like Veleno and Soderblom will create discussions for Wings management. Both are arguably ready for the NHL, but will the playing time they receive in the AHL be more beneficial in their young careers?
“It’s the tough balance of what kind of minutes and touches they would get in Grand Rapids versus what it would look like here in Detroit,” Lalonde said.
The Wings would like to have Veleno play center, but Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen and Pius Suter appear to be ahead of him on the depth chart.
Being eligible to be sent to Grand Rapids, it’s likely the Wings would feel good about Veleno going to the AHL for one more season and playing major minutes in every situation.
“I want to play my best hockey and show I can play at the NHL level and be consistent at it,” Veleno said. “That’s my biggest goal going forward, just being consistent at the NHL level.”
Soderblom, 21, is a unique player for his size and skill. Concerns about his skating have been eased, as Soderblom has shown he can keep up during the preseason.
But when you look at the Wings lineup, there doesn’t appear to be a clear opening to slot Soderblom into. Playing Soderblom in Grand Rapids and exposing him to North American pro hockey in the AHL could only better Soderblom before he eventually returns to the Wings.
“There’s not a lot of forwards as big as I am, so I need to play with size and keep working hard and pay attention to small details,” Soderblom said. “I just need to work hard, listen to the guys, take in as much as I can to improve and be ready to play at the NHL level.”
Berggren displayed an offensive ability, including briefly being evaluated while on a line with Larkin and Lucas Raymond, with Tyler Bertuzzi unavailable due to injury.
But the Wings’ top-six appears set, there are no injuries, and Berggren could use more seasoning.
Edvinsson had arguably been the most discussed about prospect among Wings fans on social media.
A 2021 first-round draft pick, Edvinsson showed ready-made NHL ability in most of his appearances during the exhibition season — although not as consistently as Moritz Seider and Raymond did last year at this time.
But with defenseman Robert Hagg returning last week from a puck to the head, there wasn’t a clear path to a roster spot for Edvinsson, who likely wasn’t going to play major minutes with the Wings quite yet.
The Wings also placed forward Givani Smith on waivers Sunday. If Smith isn’t claimed by noon Monday, the Wings can either keep him on the roster or send him to Grand Rapids.
With all that said, here is a look at how the Wings’ 23-man roster is shaping up:
Forwards
▶ In: Bertuzzi, Copp, Larkin, Rasmussen, Raymond, Suter, Adam Erne, Dominik Kubalik, David Perron, Oskar Sundqvist, Jakub Vrana, Filip Zadina
▶ Still around: Veleno, Soderblom, Smith (on waivers until Monday), Taro Hirose, Kyle Criscuolo
▶ Analysis: Sundqvist and Copp played no exhibition games because of injuries, but both are expected to be ready for Friday. Smith would be a good extra forward given his physical play, if he goes unclaimed. Veleno and Soderblom aren’t likely to be kept around if they aren’t playing much in the NHL. The Wings can keep 13 or 14 forwards, depending on whether they want to keep seven or eight defensemen.
Defense
▶ In: Hagg, Seider, Ben Chiarot, Filip Hronek, Gustav Lindstrom, Olli Maatta, Jordan Oesterle
▶ Still around: Seth Barton, Jeremie Biakabutuka
▶ Analysis: Hagg practiced late last week and should be ready for Friday. Barton has played in Grand Rapids for parts of two seasons and Biakabutuka (in camp on tryout) is likely to be signed for Grand Rapids. Will the Wings stay with seven defensemen?
▶ Goaltenders: Alex Nedeljkovic, Ville Husso
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan