The Detroit Red Wings hope to see recent drafts pay dividends at forward, with their last two top picks, Michael Rasmussen and Filip Zadina, apparently knocking on the NHL's door.
It's a group that looks to need the help.
ESPN on Monday ranked the Red Wings' group of forwards 27th out of 31 NHL teams, alluding to the group's "potential" with the likes of Zadina literally waiting in the wing, but also noting the loss of longtime staple Henrik Zetterberg, who was forced to retire because of a degenerative back condition.
"If there is a silver lining," notes Greg Wyshynski, ESPN's senior NHL writer, "it's that the center spot is the Wings' deepest, with No.