Five stories to watch as Red Wings hit training camp

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings open training camp on Thursday in Traverse City, marking the beginning of the NHL season, and a chance for a young Red Wings team to take steps forward. After a 2020-21 season in which the Wings finished seventh in their division, the front office spent the offseason taking steps to further accelerate the rebuild. That meant adding center Pius Suter, defenseman Nick Leddy and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, among others, in addition to building via the draft. In the sort of process the Red Wings are in, though, the passage of time is just as valuable as anything else.

Prospects such as Moritz Seider and Joe Veleno look all the more closer to the NHL after productive seasons overseas. 2020 first-round pick Lucas Raymond comes into camp off a red-hot NHL Prospect Tournament. A young core is another year into its development - and training camp will be a good place to show it off.

Here are the top five stories to watch in Traverse City.

What does the top line look like playing together?

By the time the Red Wings made a blockbuster deal for Jakub Vrana late last season, Tyler Bertuzzi's year had long since ended with back surgery after playing nine games. And, just three games into Vrana's time with the Red Wings, center Dylan Larkin suffered a season-ending neck injury on a cross-check.
That did little to slow down Vrana, who totaled 11 points in as many games with the Red Wings after being traded from the Capitals in April. But it does leave open the question of what the Red Wings' anticipated top line - Vrana, Larkin and Bertuzzi - will look like when they finally take the ice together. Training camp could provide an early glimpse of what to expect, provided a visa issue keeping Vrana from joining the team on day one in Traverse City sorts itself out.
On the surface, the group looks like it could make a big impact. Vrana has averaged over two points per 60 minutes in each of the last three seasons, and adapted quickly to Detroit last season, scoring 2.5 goals per 60 minutes in career-high time on ice after moving over. Bertuzzi, in his last two seasons prior to getting hurt, had approached the 50-point mark, likely only falling short of the milestone in 2020 because of the pandemic-induced season cancellation.
As for Larkin, the Red Wings' captain finished last season with nine goals and 14 assists over 44 games. Over a full, 82-game season, he has a proven track record of being able to notch upwards of 30 assists with scoring ability to boot. After a 2020-21 season in which the Red Wings at times struggled to score the puck, this top line will look to reverse the trend.

Moritz Seider's readiness

When Seider, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, was left off the Red Wings' Prospect Tournament roster last week, it seemed to be yet another signal. Despite not having made his NHL debut, Seider may be graduating beyond the label of prospect, into that of a commodity. On loan in the Swedish Hockey League last season, Seider was one of the league's most impressive defensemen, totaling 28 points and impressing onlookers with elite-level defense. Playing for Germany on the international stage, he continued to impress.
"In the Swedish League last year, which is a good league, he performed very well," Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said. "We're optimistic that he's up for the challenge. I would temper the excitement and the expectations. I think it's a huge step going from the American League, or the Swedish League, or the KHL for that matter, to the NHL."
Of course, Seider is not coming into training camp with a roster spot guaranteed. Quite the contrary - he'll need to prove himself further to make the team on Opening Night. But based on his play over the last year, the 20-year- old looks closer than ever to playing in the NHL. A training camp that continues along the same trajectory may be all that stands between him and a roster spot.

The new guys

During the offseason, the Red Wings brought in center Pius Suter in free agency, while trading for defenseman Nick Leddy and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. All three will look to make an impact.
Suter goes into his second NHL season after an impressive rookie year with the Chicago Blackhawks. Among NHL rookies, he was tied for sixth in points and finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting. Though Suter was originally undrafted, he made a name for himself in the Swiss League, winning the regular season MVP there in 2019-20 after scoring 53 points, leading to an NHL chance with the Blackhawks - a chance he ran with.
As for Leddy, a July trade for the veteran gave the Red Wings a left-handed defenseman for which they had been searching. Over an 11-year career, Leddy has proven himself a weapon on the power play, where he notched 10 of his 19 assists last season and will look to play a lot for the Red Wings. After Detroit finished the 2020-21 season ranked 30th in the NHL in power play conversion rate, Detroit's staff hopes Leddy's acquisition provides a big step towards improvement.
Nedeljkovic may have a chance to make the greatest impact of the three. In his first extended NHL stint with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, Nedeljkovic put up a 15-5-3 record, .932 save percentage and 1.90 goals-against average - finishing third in Calder Trophy voting. That prompted the Red Wings to trade Jonathan Bernier and a 2021 third-round pick for the netminder, betting that he can translate the small sample size performance to a full season.

Can Lucas Raymond follow up on a strong Prospects Tournament?

There may not be much expectation for Lucas Raymond to make the NHL roster out of camp just a year after being drafted. But it's hard not to raise your eyebrows at the Swede's performance at the Prospect Tournament in Traverse City last week.
Playing two of the three games, Raymond scored three goals, displaying an impressive scoring ability and compete level. That included an impressive shot from above the right circle and a quick release that beat the goaltender from a tough angle close to the net on Saturday, and a finish off a cross-ice pass from Jonatan Berggren on Thursday. Raymond was held out of Sunday's finale for precautionary reasons but might be closer to the roster bubble than most anticipated based on his play.
"To make the 23-man roster, well one they're young kids so I have no interest in seeing them in the stands in Detroit," Yzerman said. "So they're really gonna be in the top 12 and even go as far as to say the top nine, which is a big ask. Cause I want them playing meaningful minutes and being contributors."

Can Givani Smith, Joe Veleno make an immediate impact?

Before getting to their impact, both players will need to make the roster itself. Understanding that isn't a guarantee out of camp, though, these two are worth keeping an eye on because they're young, talented and could be a frequent part of the Red Wings' lineup this season. Both played NHL games last year - with Veleno making his debut in a five-game stint towards the end of the season - and look like key pieces of the team's future.
Smith has played 21 and 16 NHL games in each of the last two seasons, respectively, the highlight coming when he registered a Gordie Howe hat trick in a 4-1 win against the Florida Panthers last February. Veleno spent most of the year on loan in the SHL with Malmo, scoring 20 points in 46 games. A two-way center, Veleno could have the ability to kill penalties in the NHL.
"Physically, he's very very strong," Yzerman said. "I think his skating, he's a strong, strong skater. He has good puck skills. I thought he was very good in the tournament."
As far as the Red Wings' depth chart goes, the presence of Carter Rowney, the Red Wings' recent forward signee, adds some competition. With Larkin, Suter and Michael Rasmussen projected to fill out the top three center spots, Veleno's path to playing time gets complicated with Rowney, who can play center or on the wing, and Mitchell Stephens in the mix. As for Smith, he seems more likely to make the team out of camp given his longer NHL resume, but sticking in Detroit is a tougher ask. His physicality, though, will always make him an asset.