The Detroit Red Wings’ rebuild will continue this season. The hope that this year could be when the club finally makes it back to the postseason. A number of high draft picks have graduated to the main club, offering a sense of renewed hope and expectation.
The great news is that there are even more talented players in the pipeline. These prospects could replace some of the veterans in the lineup, potentially making them expendable. Fans have already seen that situation unfold with Marco Kasper.
Now, there’s another highly talented center in the Red Wings pipeline who could push for a full-time role: Nate Danielson.
This past weekend, Danielson showed off what he could do at the NHL Prospect Games. His performance stood out among the other Red Wings prospects on the ice. The Athletic’s Max Bultman described Danielson’s performance as follows:
“Danielson is such a smart player. He’s constantly in the right spots defensively, where he has a strong defensive stick, and is an easy-to-notice puck transporter and distributor as well. The question with him often comes down to whether his production will match his visual impact, and this weekend it largely did. Danielson scored a pretty goal and had an assist in two exhibition games against the Stars, getting off to a nice start to his preseason. He also looked a bit thicker, which will serve him well as he looks to win a job on the Red Wings to begin the season.”
With that high praise, the Wings could have the makings of another star top-six center. The only question that remains is whether Danielson’s consistency can land him a full-time NHL role.
Red Wings Need Another Solid Middle-Six Center
The expectation for the Detroit Red Wings this season is for Marco Kasper to fully entrench himself in the 2C slot. If that’s the case, the Red Wings will have the luxury of deploying more than four NHL-caliber centers.
According to Daily Faceoff, the Red Wings could deploy J.T. Compher as the 3C and Andrew Copp as the 4C. These are expensive options for bottom-six centers to be sure. That’s why having a solid prospect like Danielson coming up through the system could provide the Wings with much-needed flexibility.
Realistically, Danielson won’t become the next Steve Yzerman. But as long as he can maintain consistent, all-around play, the Red Wings will give him enough time to develop his full potential.
Detroit Striking It Rich with Draft Picks
The Red Wings have had a string of successful drafts. Danielson, for instance, was the ninth-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. That’s great, as the club needs to hit a home run with just about every first-rounder it has landed during its rebuild.
The Red Wings cannot afford to strike out with draft picks. The success of the rebuild depends on making savvy selections. Danielson is just another member who could hopefully graduate to the main club in a couple of seasons. The team will be counting on high-end picks eventually overflowing the pipeline with endless possibilities.
Red Wings Could Have Future Star in the Making