Quoting: FloppyBiscuit
What do you expect Detroit's top-6 to look like next season? I'm not too familiar but I would guess it will include Larkin, Raymond, and Perron, then possibly Copp and Kasper, but who fills the last spot?
Actually a top line of Larkin Raymond and Rasmussen is pretty dang solid. Rasmussen has done nothing but get better every year to the point that losing him to injury cost tbe team a lot of points in the standings. He is better as a LW than center.
The 2nd line is Copp and probably Perron and Fabbri. If Fabbri can stay healthy that is. This is where losing Bertuzzi really hurts. Detroit lost over 80 man games between Bertuzzi and Fabbri, and if they were both healthy all season, Detroit probably gets another 5-10 points in the standings. In all honesty though, as long as Bergrren takes a step forward, the 2nd line should be Copp and Bergrren with Kasper or Perron or Fabbri. I'd also say Chiasson might see some time there too, as he has some snarl in his game. Copp gets a lot of flak, and yes more goals were expected from him, but most of his assists were primary as a defensively deployed center and he did it with a revolving door of wingers.
The 3rd line by season's end hopefully has Mazur, who looks very promising. I highly doubt Lombardi gets any games in the NHL next year, but he took a MASSIVE leap forward this season and tore up the OHL for 100 points and was top 5 in scoring. He sort of came out of nowhere.
The real challenge for the Wings is filling the 2nd pair RD, and the team desperately needs a goal scorer (Vrana was supposed to be that guy) who isn't a liability defensively or is so good he can outscore his defensive lapses like prime Patrick Kane. The team next year should be a 1st round exit or a just missed by a point type team.