Which young D-man do you think makes the team next season?

[ShelbyZ]

Ken Holland has basically said that even if they re-sign Green, they'll have at least one young dman promoted to the NHL club next season (probably with the spot opened by Ouellet being traded or buried).

Who do you predict it will be and why?

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[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Ouellet is definitely gone this season So i picked Hicketts to take his place.

 

[NickH8]

I think it's Sulak. Hicketts and Hronek both need more time in the AHL, Hicketts needs to prove he can be a top guy in the AHL before he's a full time NHLer and Hronek needs to improve his defensive game. Sulak is older and if he doesn't make the team soon he likely never will. Might as well give him a shot.

 

[Kingpin794]

I assume you mean full time. Sulak is probably the safest to plug into the bottom and be fine. Hicketts will probably get a good chunk of games and Hronek will be like Bert this past season and Mantha the one before. Play some games in GR and then make his way to Detroit for the rest of the year. Soooooo other.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Hard to say. Voted Hicketts because he's been getting some call-ups and could win a "tie". Really think there's going to be a legit battle for jobs in camp though.

 

[RabidBadger]

Dobson. Boom!

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Dobson. Boom!

He would have to put on some serious weight, but I'm all about this.

 

[Ezekial]

I've been convinced Sulak is going to get the best look. Hronek will get a shot during the season, and Cholowski could darkhorse that shit hard. But, until the dominoes fall and we know the roster going into training camp, there's really no accurate speculation.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Hopefully not Hronek or Cholo. Don't need to stunt their development giving them responsibility they're not ready for because the defense sucks so badly that you can't protect them.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

He would have to put on some serious weight, but I'm all about this.

Dobson should probably go back for one more year in the Q. If they take Bouchard I think he should be up playing in the NHL next season. I am not sure there is much more he can do to get ready. He will need to improve his skating and defensive positioning but still he seems like he could survive. Bouchard is the only D-man I would turn pro next year outside of Dahlin.

 

[Spitfire11]

Probably Sulak.

Hoping for KFQ though

 

[lilidk]

I put Hicketts but I think Hronek will make it to just not from beginning

 

[Winger98]

sulak is 24. If he's going to make it in the NHL, it needs to be soon. If he doesn't make the jump next year, I think there is very little reason to expect him to get better to the point of actually earning that spot the following season. I wouldn't be surprised if he's kept up out of camp even if it's as the #7.

I think Hicketts is the most likely guy to take a starting spot.

 

[Martinez]

Opening night? Hicketts.
Hronek will get a bunch of games tho

 

[ricky0034]

do people really think Sulak is gonna just jump straight to the NHL with no North American experience at all?(pretty much anyways,he played 2 games in Grand Rapids at the end of the regular season)

sure he's a late bloomer type that went undrafted so he's got less time to make it but that doesn't mean he's ready

I just don't see it



I voted Hicketts I think he's the most likely for opening night if he doesn't have an awful preseason, i've never been much of a believer in him personally and he had a disappointing season last year but he's played 164 games in Grand Rapids at this point counting Playoffs so I don't think there's a whole lot left to be gained down there it's sink or swim time

 

[Henkka]

Bouchard is the only NHL ready from draft.

If we don't draft him, it will be Hicketts.

 

[datsyukfan]

I think you trade oullette and Jensen. Bring up Hronek, hickets, sulak

D-core

Dekeyser
Kronwall
Daley
E
Hickets
Hronek
Sulak

 

[Winger98]

do people really think Sulak is gonna just jump straight to the NHL with no North American experience at all?(pretty much anyways,he played 2 games in Grand Rapids at the end of the regular season)

sure he's a late bloomer type that went undrafted so he's got less time to make it but that doesn't mean he's ready

I just don't see it

Neither do I, which is why I'm not high on the guy at all. Regardless of the league they are coming from, if a D hasn't made the NHL by their mid-20s they are pretty unlikely to be anything other than a depth player - which we have plenty of. If he doesn't look like he can handle the NHL by the end of training camp, I'd be up for just letting him return to Europe.

 

[ShelbyZ]

do people really think Sulak is gonna just jump straight to the NHL with no North American experience at all?(pretty much anyways,he played 2 games in Grand Rapids at the end of the regular season)

sure he's a late bloomer type that went undrafted so he's got less time to make it but that doesn't mean he's ready

I just don't see it

It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. Off the top of my head, Kempny with Chicago, Zaitsev in Toronto and Antipin in Buffalo all jumped straight into the NHL without NA experience right around Sulak's age.

I'm also thinking it's going to be Sulak and most of the reasons have been covered in this thread already:

-Given that he'll turn 25 during the season, he probably doesn't have much more growing or developing to do, so what they'll see is likely what they'll get. His age probably also makes it where being a depth piece at the NHL level (IE sitting in the pressbox some games) won't be terrible.
-The team probably also has a smaller window to figure out what they have in him. He's waiver exempt for two more seasons, but I doubt he wants to go back and forth on a two-way when he could go back to Europe and make more. He's an RFA after the season, so if his NHL future is still a mystery at that point, he might just pack it up and head home. Might as well get it out of the way now.
-I have to think his being NHL size gives him an advantage at camp over a small Hicketts and the other guys that are still growing.

As for the others:

Hicketts - Possibly starts on the NHL roster if there is an injury to a regular, but they probably want him to go back to GR and get his offensive game back to what it was in 16-17. He'll get some call ups though, and is probably already penciled into the 19-20 NHL roster when Jensen and Kronwall are likely gone and he's no longer waiver exempt.

Hronek - Same as Hicketts, but going to GR more to polish play without the puck. Similarly planned to be a regular for 19-20

Cholowski - Likely gets a full year in GR

Saarijarvi - Gets a full year in GR where he's a regular that dresses every game

Lindstrom - Gets assigned to Europe and then joins GR for 19-20

Dman taken at #6OA or in the top 10OA - If it's a CHL guy, they probably get signed to their ELC pretty quickly. With a good camp and some room on the roster, they might get their 9 games in the NHL, but probably go back to their CHL team for the season. European based prospect probably also gets signed, but then eventually re-assigned to their European team. College prospect probably gets at least one more year in college.

Prospect D acquired in a trade - Probably unlikely to happen, and obviously it'll depend on the prospects age/experience/etc etc.

Kyle Quincey on a PTO - I mean... I guess it's better than spending a first rounder to get him back this time or overpaying him as a UFA?

Russo - Might be a wild card here. With a better than expected camp, the Red Wings might worry about losing him on waivers and let him at least start the year in the NHL. Otherwise, he's likely waiver and GR bound.

 

[PelagicJoe]

Probably Sulak.

Hoping for KFQ though

Pretty sad that KFQ would actually improve the defense a little.

 

[njx9]

Hopefully not Hronek or Cholo. Don't need to stunt their development giving them responsibility they're not ready for because the defense sucks so badly that you can't protect them.

Meh, you can still protect them just as much as you could any other time. It just means we'd be seeing a lot of DDK, E, and Daley having to play above their heads.

But really, who cares? None of them are super tradeable (maybe Daley, I guess), so you're not killing their value. This team isn't going anywhere with any combination of defensemen on it's roster, so playing DDK as our #1 is gross, but it doesn't really change anything.

Maybe you think play time in GR is more valuable than play time in the NHL for some reason, and that's fine, but the team certainly has enough veteran bodies to protect kids at any position they want to bring up. And there's not enough talent at any of them to make it a bad idea (to bring up a kid instead of a bad veteran).

 

[Bench]

Pretty sad that KFQ would actually improve the defense a little.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Yes back when we thought he was holding DeKeyser back..... Well turns out that was the incorrect take.

 

[Shaman464]

Can someone call Brett Lebda? He'd be top pairing on this team.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

I'll say Sulak.

Ouellet gets traded for an AHL top 6 center.