Detroit Red Wings: Which Defenseman Could Be On The Hot Seat?
By Tyler Kotila
With the 2019-20 season getting closer, let’s take a more extensive look at which Detroit Red Wings defenseman could be on the hot seat as camp and preseason approaches. With plenty of young talent and seasoned veterans in the mix, things could get interesting.
The way it stands right now, using CapFriendly’s roster setup, the Detroit Red Wings have seven defensemen listed to make the cut for the opening night roster. The season could bring some sudden changes and immediately have some players in the hot seat to be bounced to the AHL or even traded according to rumors circulating.
The seven defensemen slated to make the roster are…
With Niklas Kronwall‘s decision to retire or not still up in the air, things could change quickly if he opts to come back to the Detroit Red Wings this season. With only six guys playing on a nightly basis, it seems like Daley, Ericsson, and Nemeth would be the odd ones out in this situation as the seventh guy who will take a turn sitting out games.
The way this is laid out, that means that Dennis Cholowski, Oliwer Kaski, and Joe Hicketts are all going to spend the beginning of the season in the minors. The pressure should be placed on the guys mentioned above as the odd-ones out, Daley, Ericsson, and Nemeth should be on the hot seat to be replaced by one of the younger guys.
There have been some minor rumors about GM Steve Yzerman attempting to move Green or Daley as they are both in contract years. There was some talk of Ericsson potentially being on the trade block, but that would be a minor trade for a team simply trying to add depth for a playoff run. If Yzerman can indeed find a trade partner for Ericsson, he should automatically win GM of the year.
The younger talent should be given chances to prove themselves at the NHL level, after all, we do not want to see Daley, Ericsson, and Nemeth around for the long haul. The hope is that Yzerman will keep those guys on the hot seat, hoping one of these younger guys can vault into an NHL role and be productive. Cholowski spent a good amount of time with the Red Wings due to the absence of Green while he was injured, there’s plenty of room for growth. This year should be about his development and transition into an NHL level defenseman, even if it comes in stints.
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Going into camp and the preseason, keep an eye on Kronwall (for his decision), Green (for his health & trade bait ), Daley, Ericsson, and Nemeth as the guys who are on the hot seat. If one of the youngsters can make the jump to the NHL, there could be a battle between defenseman for that seventh spot. Bowey, DeKeyser, and Hronek will be mainstays in the starting six defenders, but the others are all up in the air as it stands now.