Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has always said he doesn’t pencil any prospect or veteran, for that matter, into the lineup during the off-season but always gives them a fair opportunity to make the roster during training camp and the preseason. We’ve seen this in recent years with Lucas Raymond, Elmer Soderblom, and Bobby Ryan, among others.
I appreciate Yzerman’s willingness to make an unpopular decision for the better of the team. That goes for starting a highly touted prospect many fans want to see begin the year immediately in Detroit in Grand Rapids. It also means starting a player like Soderblom in Detroit over someone like Jonatan Berggren, as the Red Wings did last season.