Montreal — Pius Suter, the wily veteran that he is at 26, has really begun feeling his age in recent days.
Seeing Simon Edvinsson (age 20) and Marco Kasper (18) take up residence in the Red Wings locker room has left Suter shaking his head.
“It’s kind of crazy in that I’m not that old,” said Suter, and most everyone would agree 26 isn’t anicent. “And these guys are like 18, 19, 20 and there’s like a six- or seven-year difference and it gets you thinking.
“Where was I at 19?
Suter was undrafted and playing professionally in Switzerland, a good career step, but a long way from NHL arenas.
Watching Kasper and Edvinsson in the last week, and with the continued progression of defenseman Moritz Seider and forward Lucas Raymond in their second NHL seasons, and knowing recent draft picks forward Carter Mazur and defenseman William Wallinder both just began their pro careers in Grand Rapids, you definitely can see the future of the Wings beginning to take shape in the present.
During one sequence in Sunday’s victory in Toronto, Seider, Edvinsson, Raymond and Kasper were all on the ice during a scrum, and not at all getting pushed around.
Physically, during that sequence, or at any point during the game.
Just the way the Wings continue to play, earning victories against prospective playoff teams and showing what the future could hold, is promising.
“It’s exciting for our hockey team,” said captain Dylan Larkin, whose three goals in Sunday’s victory was another exclamation point.
If you go on social media, a large segment of Wings fans aren’t necessarily thrilled with all the wins, as it hurts the team’s odds of winning the draft lottery.
And coach Derek Lalonde gets it. But Lalonde insists the Wings’ young players are gaining plenty of positive NHL experience playing major minutes and competing (and defeating) playoff teams.
“I know it was really tough how this team got completely flipped at the deadline and through injury,” Lalonde said. “But I’ve tried to preach the positive, and we’re still building a core here and that core is still around and we just want to build our game and we’ve done that and it has resulted in some real quality wins.
“I know the average fan might not be very excited we keep climbing up the draft board, which I understand. But we’re trying to establish a winning attitude here.”
Lalonde feels it’s important, even at this stage of the schedule, to learn plenty about the NHL.
“We’re still trying to learn how to win and these types of wins, winning three of our last four being playoff teams (Pittsburgh, Carolina, Toronto), it goes a long way for the future,” Lalonde said. “We’re going to win as many games as possible and play the right way, and we’re going to continue to establish good habits.
“Fortunately of late, it has resulted in some very good wins.”
Edvinsson, in only his fifth NHL game Sunday, was only behind Seider in ice time, while Kasper, in his NHL debut, centered the Wings’ second line.
Playing in a frenzied Toronto environment, against a star-studded roster, neither looked out of place.
“It’s just real special to watch,” said Seider, who won the NHL’s Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) last year, and now sees younger players than him skate into the lineup. “Marco, in his first NHL game and playing against one of the best centers in the league (Auston Matthews), he did a real good job. We just did our best supporting him and making him comfortable and get him going a little bit and he was great.
“Simon played a huge role for the win. He was out there in important situations, played real good five-on-five. That’s we need. It’s exciting.”
Larkin said he and Seider have talked in recent days how valuable this taste of the NHL can be for Edvinsson and Kasper, and how it would have benefitted both of them to get similar end-of-season looks.
Larkin is excited about what both Kasper and Edvinsson can potentially bring to the Wings.
“Simon has looked real comfortable, he’s had a little more time in North America,” Larkin said. “Marco, I’ve been really impressed with. His demeanor, how respectful he is and how he goes about his business, he’s going to be a special player. We’re real excited to have him up with us this last little stretch here.
“It’s valuable experience for him to get his feet wet for next year.”
Ice chips
Kasper didn’t practice Monday — Lalonde called it a lower-body injury — but the coach isn’t concerned. It sounded like a precautionary move, more than anything.
“He couldn’t practice but we’ll still play him (Tuesday) if he’s able to get through the morning skate and how he feels,” Lalonde said. “No (not concerned), not at all.”
… Goaltender Ville Husso will get the start Tuesday in Montreal, Lalonde said. Husso hasn’t played since March 20, dealing with a lower-body injury.
Red Wings at Canadiens
▶ Faceoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Bell Centre, Montreal
▶ TV/radio: BSD-extra/97.1 FM
▶ Outlook: The Canadiens (30-41-6) are finishing up an injury-marred season that have their fans waiting for the draft lottery and Entry Draft. … C Nick Suzuki (38 assists, 61 points) has stayed healthy and been a consistent offensive threat.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan