The Detroit Red Wings will need all the help they can get down the home stretch. While the Red Wings have some solid performers in the team’s forward core, they may be losing one of the players who has settled in nicely during the 2022-23 season.
The latest update on Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen was a bit concerning. He was ruled out indefinitely after blocking a shot off the kneecap and having to exit the game and head down the tunnel immediately after.
The thought is that this could eventually be paired with the news that Rasmussen is done for the rest of the year. The Red Wings are still awaiting another medical update, but there could be a gap in the team’s offense.
While the easy answer is that Lucas Raymond will fill the gap when he returns, and there will be hope that Jakub Vrana wakes up as he gets back into the NHL grind. But, there’s also reason to believe that Rasmussen’s bigger and physical frame leaves a hole that Yzerman needs to fill.
Detroit Red Wings could call up Elmer Söderblom.
It could be an old friend who returns to the Red Wings roster on a call-up if Yzerman wants to bring up another big-framed forward. Elmer Söderblom has been garnering some attention after several good games in Grand Rapids.
While the Red Wings threw everything they could at Andrei Vasilevskiy the other night, Söderblom produced this highlight-reel goal.
All-in-all, Söderblom has played in 18 games for the Griffins at the AHL level in 2022-23, where he has five goals and three assists for eight total points. He also showed flashes of why he belongs in the NHL during his time with the Red Wings.
He may not have taken off in his rookie campaign as Jonatan Berggren has. But Söderblom has shown reasons why he was a steal for the Red Wings in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Söderblom has spent time with the Red Wings; he has five goals and three assists for eight total points over 21 games at the NHL level. For the Red Wings, being able to find someone to fill that gap left by Rasmussen is important.
While Raymond’s offense should pick up for Rasmussen, Söderblom will bring his 6-foot-8 frame to the ice, looking to help in the forward core. While Söderblom still has some room to grow into that frame and be a little bit more physical, it’s hard to argue with a 6-foot-8 forward being a physical specimen out there on the ice.
He moves well for a bigger body, and the Red Wings could slot him into the bottom six as needed. It’s a move to keep an eye out for as the week progresses and more info becomes available on Rasmussen.