The Detroit Red Wings were already hurting down the middle after losing Dylan Larkin for the season opener. Now, another big name is out.
Ansar Khan of MLive reported that Marco Kasper will miss Sunday's matinee matchup vs. the Winnipeg Jets thanks to an upper-body injury. Khan also reported that the injury was "…not from his fight with Sean Durzi during the second period of Friday's 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers in the season-opener."
This one hurts the Red Wings in a few ways. The center position is already thin after just one game into the season. Kasper was one of just three Red Wings forwards to land multiple shots on goal (four) in Friday's loss to New York, and he played with an edge.
Per NHL.com, Emmitt Finnie will kick inside to play center vs. the Jets with Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Viktor Arvidsson flanking him. Finnie is one of the lineup's more versatile forwards; he plays a high-energy game and proved last season that he can be fairly reliable offensively.
Finnie played in the J.T. Compher line on Friday, also alongside Arvidsson. He skated for 14:24 and landed a shot on goal. Expect his ice time to increase on Sunday afternoon with Kasper out.
Finnie, who often lines up on the wing, played some center down the stretch last season when Larkin and Andrew Copp went down with injuries. Therefore, he is no stranger to the position, and his Puck Pedia entry lists him as a center/winger.
It will be interesting to see what Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard can do on the same line. Brandsegg-Nygard had three shots on goal and two hits in 9:39 of ice time on Friday. His energy matches Finnie's, but he plays an even more aggressive game. The two of them on the same line could bring more intensity to Little Caesars Arena on Sunday despite the mounting injuries.
Defenseman Simon Edvinsson is another notable name that won't dress for the Red Wings. Last night, Edvinsson's camp indicated it was seeking a trade. This is the last situation any team wants to find itself in so early in the season. But early-season injuries and potential trades are the hand the Red Wings have been dealt.
Meanwhile, it presents opportunities for more youngsters deeper in the lineup and in the organization, and one can't stress that enough. The Red Wings already saw Anton Johansson enjoy a solid NHL debut . Now it's time for Brandsegg-Nygard to build on his encouraging performance in the season opener, and for Finnie to once again show off his versatility.
While the Red Wings are hurting in more ways than one, the opportunities presented could make them a deeper organization because players are forced into larger roles. The deeper they get, the faster they can turn this rough patch around.
We will see how the Red Wings respond on Sunday afternoon vs. Winnipeg and in the upcoming matchups.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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