Red Wings preseason stock watch: Marco Kasper trends up, uncertainty lingers in goal

It may not feel like it, with a borderline-absurd six exhibition games slated for this week, but there's less than a week remaining in the Detroit Red Wings' preseason.

And while that gauntlet — beginning with two games tonight, one in Detroit against Pittsburgh and one at Buffalo — will still comprise the majority of Detroit 's data points, some trends are already becoming clear after 10 days of practices and games.

Here's who's trending up and what's trending down so far as this wild week begins.

Stock up: Marco Kasper

Kasper has been a standout since early in training camp and he's carried it into the preseason. He had an assist in his exhibition debut, but really the story of that game for him had more to do with how assertive and confident he looked, especially on the penalty kill.

That's not an easy role for a young player to thrive in, but Kasper was very impressive in the preseason opener, even creating a couple of scoring chances — one that he started by winning a battle at the defensive blue line, and one off a high-skill play below the offensive goal line.

Those are eye-catching plays from a prospective rookie.

It's still early, of course. But seeing Kasper translate that impressive camp into game action was the first big step. In particular, seeing that offense come out has been important. Even in practices, he's displayed some nice touch on his shot, too.

Now it'll be a matter of seeing if he can keep up his strong play, or even build on it.

Detroit's roster looks like it's going to be tough to crack, barring injury. But if Kasper can play like this all preseason, he will give himself a chance — and he already looks like a strong candidate for NHL time at some point this season.

Stock up: Rasmussen-Copp-Fischer line

To me, this was Detroit's best line through the first two preseason games. And that's not surprising — the trio had clear chemistry last season, all committed to playing the game in a similar way: hard-nosed, north-south hockey that doesn't give much up the other way. It gives them an obvious role as a matchup line. You know all this.

What was really impressive, though, was how much time they spent in the offensive zone in their first appearance this preseason Friday night. Christian Fischer scored and Andrew Copp had two assists (one on the power play), but the more important takeaway was the consistent puck possession and offensive pressure, working the cycle and creating ample scoring chances.

Granted, it was against a weaker Chicago Blackhawks lineup, which certainly matters here as three big-bodied veterans should be able to impose their will on lighter competition. But it was nonetheless notable to see the three find success right away, both in the flow of play and on the scoreboard.

"I think their offense is going to be honest offense, which I like," coach Derek Lalonde said. "I think you can create offense by playing the right way, and that line, when they're out there, they do a lot of the right things. They win lines, manage pucks, forecheck properly, get up top, create turnovers. They can create some offense."

Lalonde said Friday night that coming into camp, he planned to be a little more fluid with lines this preseason — and made clear the team still will try different looks. But these three have been a constant so far. They rewarded that continuity Friday and look to be in a strong position as a collective.

Stock down: Any certainty in goal

The Red Wings' goaltending situation was already a bit of a mystery going into training camp, with three key pieces to sort through.

Ville Husso is the highest paid (and has possibly the highest upside) but spent last year beset with injuries. Cam Talbot is the most experienced and had the best statistical season in 2023-24, but is 37 and entering new surroundings. Alex Lyon gave the Red Wings most of their best outings last season, but sputtered down the stretch, likely due to overwork.

Lalonde, though, has described the team's approach to the position as a "clean slate," and after two games in which the team has allowed a combined two goals, he said he thinks "all four goalies (including prospect Sebastian Cossa ) have shown some positives."

That's fair enough, with the results they've gotten, but I think the total picture is a bit less rosy.

Entering the preseason, I had projected the hierarchy as Talbot up top with Lyon and Husso behind him. But Husso and Lyon got the starts in Detroit's first two games, each taking two periods while Talbot and Cossa came on for a period in relief.

Surely all three NHL goalies will get plenty of work this preseason. That's not the problem. It's more a matter of uncertainty at the position.

After what I felt was an excellent start to Husso's preseason debut in Chicago, he gave up a pair of doozies in the second period. It's fair to expect some time to catch up to NHL game speed after not playing a full game since December, but that fact alone underscores how hard it could be to count on Husso to take on a heavy workload this season.

Talbot meanwhile didn't give up a goal in his one period of work, but also didn't look especially in control in stopping his nine shots. There was one sequence after a save where he left the puck sitting free around the crease before it was pushed under him. I'm not here to nitpick, nor do I claim to be a goalie expert, but it stood out because it tracked with what I've felt have been uneven practice showings from Talbot, including in the Red-White game.

Lyon, meanwhile, has looked to me like the best of the three thus far. He probably could have been a "stock up" in this for that reason — though, of course, it is early. The only issue is he has the least high-volume track record of the three and clearly looked fatigued late last season.

Lyon said he changed his approach this summer after last year's workload, trying to bounce back quicker mentally and physically. Perhaps that's the answer here. It could work, after what Lyon showed for long stretches last season.

But even if Lyon wins the top job, being backed up by an uncertain Husso and another veteran option with some question marks — well, that doesn't actually sound too different from last year, does it?

There's a lot of preseason left, of course. And Talbot's track record deserves some deference here. But Detroit's crease has stood out as a potential concern to me over the first 10 days of camp.

(Top photo of Marco Kasper: Michael Reaves / )