Following Larkin's footsteps, Raymond makes roster out of camp

Dylan Larkin remembers this day in 2015, when he was 19 and unsure of making the roster. He went to sleep unsure, then woke up the next morning and texted Luke Glendening to ask what time practice was, or if he was even supposed to show up.

"They didn't say anything to me," Larkin said. "Luckily I showed up. It was a good day."
The parallels between he and Lucas Raymond, who showed up for practice Monday morning six hours before the roster was officially announced, skated alongside Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi on the first line, then officially made the team at 5 p.m. - are almost too easy.
Like Larkin, Raymond was a first-round pick. Like Larkin, Raymond is 19. Like Larkin, Raymond came into camp needing to impress - and did. And like Larkin, the spotlight will be on him immediately.
"Right away, knew he was a special player," Larkin said. "Thinks the game, has great hands and can skate. He always looks like a good player, then I saw him on the ice in training camp. He's a smart player. I think he plays on a different level, and it just depends for him if he can keep it going."

Throughout training camp, Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill had said the bar for Raymond to make the team would be high. But his play during preseason forced the Red Wings' hands. When the team practiced on Monday morning, they did so with 24 players - one more than the 23 they needed at 5 p.m. Raymond was one of them. Bobby Ryan, who had been on a tryout contract during preseason, was not.
"At times (it) was portrayed as two guys fighting for one job, and that's not necessarily the case," Blashil said. "But certainly, Lucas's game and the other guys, how they played, factored into it for sure."
In the press release announcing the decision, Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman left the door open to signing Ryan at some point.
"We felt Bobby had a good preseason for us, but due to roster limitations, we aren't able to offer him a contract at this time," Yzerman said. "We will continue to evaluate whether there is an opportunity for Bobby in Detroit as the 2021-22 season begins."
Based on Monday's practice, as much as one can say the top six is set with three days until the opener - which is to say things are subject to change - it looks as though Raymond will be on the top line with Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, and the second line will be made up of Filip Zadina, Pius Suter and Robby Fabbri.
On defense, the pairings were as follows: Moritz Seider and Nick Leddy; Danny DeKeyser and Filip Hronek; Marc Staal and Gustav Lindstrom; Jordan Oesterle and Troy Stecher. No surprises amongst who made the roster there, though the latter two pairings were changed up a bit, as Staal has worked with Stecher during camp.
"For sure we have the most depth on D that we've had probably since I've been here," Blashill said. "... As I said to them, there's gonna be some good players that are sitting out that have played good hockey. And they're gonna have to find a way to keep their heads above water, not let the mental strain - lose confidence or not be good."

As for the third and fourth lines, things were still uncertain on Monday morning, not least because of injuries. Givani Smith, Michael Rasmussen and Adam Erne were all participants in practice, but their statuses are unclear for Thursday. Thus, the Red Wings had 14 forwards in attendance. Erne and Rasmussen skated with Sam Gagner on what figures to be the third line. Smith, Vladimir Namestnikov and Carter Rowney all rotated in at various points.
In the end, the Red Wings decided to keep all three of Smith, Ramussen and Erne while sending Veleno to Grand Rapids. That decision, though, is by no means permanent - Veleno could easily shuttle between the AHL and NHL based on his play and that of others. The Red Wings' goal is to get him playing time, whether that be in Detroit or in Grand Rapids.
"Two things can happen if Joe were to get sent down," Blashill said. "One, he may be in a role that's higher than he is here, which hopefully would help maximize his development. And two, it gives us more organizational depth, too. Because he is a guy that can get sent down without exposing him to waivers, so those are things that can go into decisions."
Rowney and Smith, on the other hand, would both have been exposed to waivers if sent to Grand Rapids.
"When guys play great, they find a way on the team," Blashill said.
Raymond has found his way. Now it's about what he does with it.