Taking a look at the training camp lines
You can see the full lineup for each of the teams in this article written by Ansar Khan. Here are some thoughts on some of the lineups or defensive pairings.
Jiri Hudler-Henrik Zetterberg-Johan Franzen
Mike Babcock said he’d start the season with this lineup so it will be worth watching how they do during training camp and preseason. Z and Mule have pretty good chemistry and Hudler is the new guy in the mix. Hudler might be the best passer out of the three so that’s what I think he’ll be expected to bring to the table in the offensive zone.
Dick Axelsson-Evan McGrath-Jan Mursak
This could end up being a line in Grand Rapids this season. Axelsson is likely to go back to Sweden following training camp but it would be intriguing if he ended up playing with the Griffins this season. The 20 year old is described by Red Wings Central as being one of the best pure offensive talents in Detroit’s pipeline.
Tomas Holmstrom-Pavel Datsyuk-Marian Hossa
Like the Hudler-Z-Mule line this is one of the lines Babcock will use at the start of the season. It is going to be a joy watching Pavs set up Hossa for high quality scoring chances.
Mattias Ritola-Justin Abdelkader-Darren McCarty
The most interesting part of this line is that Abdelkader, who is supposed to replace Dallas Drake’s contributions at some point, is going to play alongside Darren McCarty. Mac will no doubt keep Abdelkader loose while helping him out with the small details of playing crash and bang hockey. Ritola is a guy who surprised some people by demonstrating he had a little bite in his game, so this should be a lineup that can forecheck and do well along the boards.
Ryan Oulahen-Cory Emmerton-Darren Haydar
This could turn out to be a line the Griffins use this season. It will be interesting in particular to see how Emmerton, whose on-ice vision has been compared to Jumbo Joe Thornton, does with Darren Haydar on his wing. Haydar has been a prolific point producer in the AHL.
Dan Cleary-Valtteri Filppula-Mikael Samuelsson
Tomas Kopecky-Kris Draper-Kirk Maltby
These look to be Detroit’s third and fourth lines. The battle for the 13th spot is likely between Darren McCarty, Aaron Downey and Darren Helm. My guess is Downey ends up making the team since he’s the lone guy who will drop the gloves when necessary. Mac will likely help Abdelkader and Helm in Grand Rapids as they continue to develop for their eventual roles in Detroit.
The interesting thing about the pairings on defense is: a) none of the lineups are what you would expect when the season starts, which is the exact opposite from the forward lineups; and b) seeing who the guys who are fighting it out for a roster spot are paired up with. Andreas Lilja and Brett Lebda, who were paired up on the third pairing during the Stanley Cup Finals, will stay together for training camp. Derek Meech is skating with Niklas Kronwall while Kyle Quincey is skating with Chris Chelios. Quincey is a good fit for Chelios since they have similar styles of play.
The Kronner and Meech pairing is a little less clear. Do the Wings want to see Meech play a similar style as Kronner as far as jumping up into the play, or are they expecting him to be the stay at home guy backing up Kronner? Meech does have a bit of sandpaper in his game so are they hoping to see more of that by pairing him with the Swedish heat-seeking missile? Based on how Quincey is paired up with a similar style player that is my take.
If that’s the case my guess is Meech is gunning for Lebda’s spot and Quincey is gunning for Lilja’s place in the lineup.
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