The Detroit Red Wings entered training camp looking to find the right left winger to skate on the team’s first line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond . After four preseason games, an unexpected candidate appears to have emerged: 2023 seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie . The 20-year-old winger has scored a goal and registered an assist this preseason, and has generated positive reports due to his performances in training camp.
Today, The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote that Finnie is a legitimate contender to start the season on the Red Wings’ top line. Veteran James van Riemsdyk entered the preseason as the favorite for the role, but has missed all of camp attending to a family matter. Elmer Soderblom was a possibility, but did not make a big impact when given the chance to play with Larkin and Raymond. That leaves Finnie in line to begin the season in that role, which would be quite the way for him to start his full-time pro career. Finnie spent most of last season in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers, and scored five points in 13 games in a late-season cameo with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.