DETROIT - Several prospects battling for jobs will be in the lineup tonight for the Detroit Red Wings in their preseason finale against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit).
The group does not include defenseman Dennis Cholowski and forward Michael Rasmussen.
Should we read into that that Cholowski and Rasmussen have wrapped up spots on the season-opening roster?
"You can, but I'm not," coach Jeff Blashill said. "They've all played lots of games. You can read whatever you want into it, but we'll keep making evaluations."
Cholowski, Detroit's top pick in 2016, has been one of the team's best players in the preseason, finishing with six points (two goals, four assists) and a plus-5 rating in six games, while averaging more than 20 minutes a night and seeing significant time on the power play and penalty kill.