The Elmer Soderblom era is officially upon us in the Motor City, as it was announced yesterday by the Detroit Red Wings that the towering forward had indeed made the 2022-23 roster. However, despite that announcement, that doesn’t automatically equal unlimited ice time.
Just as the young Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond had to do last season when they burst upon the scene, Soderblom will have to earn his minutes while also making the most of them. Head coach Derek Lalonde said as much following today’s practice at Little Caesars Arena.
“I think what we’re fighting through is that if we can’t find significant minutes and roles for Elmer and Joe, then we have to have that balance of what’s going to be best for their development,” he said. “We’re still fighting through that, and that’s gonna take a life of itself.”
There are still ways for Elmer Soderblom to improve
“Puck possession, even him managing his game throughout camp,” Lalonde said before the final roster had been set. “He had some turnovers. I believe somewhere in there he had a two-on-one that he turned into a turnover because he went between his legs and behind him. Even as camp progressed, he started having a little of that risk taken out of his game. He played a below-the-goal-line type game.
http://gty.im/1431554519
“He’s still growing in the D-zone. Even today (in practice), he got lost a few times in our D-zone coverage, which is understandable. We want to work with him on that. I just think having that big body is something that’s a little different than a lot of forwards we have.”
The Red Wings and Soderblom will begin the 2022-23 regular season on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena against the Montreal Canadiens.
