Detroit Red Wings training camp is surfacing a real problem that goes beyond the Dylan Larkin saga everyone's been watching all summer.
The team needs more 5-on-5 scoring, and camp observations this week made that gap hard to ignore.
Viktor Arvidsson's fit is one of the storylines being watched closely as Detroit tries to figure out its scoring lines heading into the season.
Arvidsson posted 54 points in 69 games last season, adding 25 goals and 6 game-winners for a Red Wings team that finished 41-31-10.
That kind of finishing touch is exactly what Detroit needs more of at even strength, not just on the power play where the roster has more obvious weapons.
A couple of young defensemen are also drawing real intrigue at camp, adding some depth questions to a blue line that's still figuring out its identity heading into the season.
Detroit finished 16th overall this season, respectable but not enough to escape real scrutiny on where the next level of scoring comes from.
Why LeBrun's Laine idea adds fuel to this conversation
Insider Pierre LeBrun raised an interesting question publicly this week. "I wonder about Patrik Laine as a possible fit in Detroit," LeBrun said.
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That's pure speculation right now, nothing close to a formal report or a specific trade proposal. But it lands at exactly the right moment given Detroit's own 5-on-5 scoring concerns.
A player with Laine's shooting pedigree would address the same issue camp observations are already flagging, a finishing threat who can produce away from the power play.
Detroit still doesn't have a permanent GM in place, with interim GM Shawn Horcoff running the front office while the search continues.
Any real pursuit of a name like Laine would likely wait until that permanent hire is made, given the scope of decisions already sitting on Horcoff's plate.
For now, this stays speculation layered onto a real, camp-confirmed problem. Whether Detroit actually chases a scoring fix like Laine, or looks internally first, is still very much unresolved.
Would Patrik Laine be a good fit for the Red Wings' scoring needs?
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