Wallinder getting back to back games is a big deal. They’re treating him like someone who’s going to play a whole lot of important minutes in GR this season. He and Tuomisto have both impressed at camp.
I’m on record saying I think Wallinder is gonna be the big prospect they ultimately trade to upgrade that blue line, but hopefully this isn’t any type of showcasing just yet, because if he’s turned a big enough corner, why trade him? Still though, he’s likely the player most teams will be asking about. Most NHL teams simply don’t have a Wallinder type Dman in their system. So it’s even more rare for a team to trade a prospect like him, because the upside is just too high. Unfortunately they have too many young Dmen who are gonna hit within a 2 year time frame. It’s why they weren’t devastated trading Gibson for Kiiskinen either. It’s also why nobody should be surprised if Lombardi isn’t a player other teams really start asking about from a forward perspective, knowing Detroit has a bunch of kids on the same timeline.
Still haven’t seen Becher or Buium, which isn’t good news. Especially for Becher because they still don’t know where he’s gonna play this year. Sending him back to Juniors is probably a waste, but he’s also not under contract yet.
Still think he may start the season in Toledo on loan, but like a Tuomisto last season, if he’s good enough, he’ll be in Grand Rapids rather quickly, and would likely get his ELC by Xmas. If he’s sent back to the WHL, he’s just going to be an over dominating player. You’d much rather him being challenged, every night. The only reason I could see him sent back? To play C every night. Last year, most of his success came when they moved him to the wing. So if he is sent back, good bet it’s to have him play C every night and become a dominant C before turning pro.
Real big game for Rychlovsky. Likely gonna see a boatload of ice time for Albert Johansson too. A little surprised Finnie isn’t in the lineup before being sent back to Juniors, and Doucett still hasn’t been in a game yet. So he has to be a little disappointed cause he’s had a good camp. Just not sure its been good enough to be in GR’s lineup consistently yet, with how many ELC players they have in GR. Like Becher and Gylander, he’s a victim in a sense, of how many ELC players the Griffins have this season. It’s great for the wings because it shows how deep their system is, but sometimes some good players get lost in the shuffle.
Should be an interesting night for some guys. Like to see Kasper play with Kane and MBN some too.