Red Wings Prospect Shaking Off The Rust
It's not about what you have. It's about what you do with it.
This saying rings true for the Detroit Red Wings this season. What they have (the players) wasn't the issue. What the Red Wings head coach was doing with them was the problem.
Now that they have that sorted out, they can better understand what upgrades they need to make a difference in the long run.
Meanwhile, the Grand Rapids Griffins continue to progress. They recently got back one of their top players from injury, Amadeus Lombardi.
He was deployed in a third-line center role in his first game back. However, he started the game last night as the team's first-line center.
That's quite the jump.
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After last night's win, head coach Dan Watson spoke to the media. He was asked about Lombardi and what he thought of his play.
'He's been out for so long,' Watson said. 'It takes a while. (You can't) just expect him to be like he was before the injury. Tonight, there was some puck management issues, maybe skating (issues).'
'You're so energized, and you're so amped up for that first game that maybe the second one you drop off a little.'
Watson believes that Lombardi can shake off the rust sooner rather than later.
'Not worried about him,' Watson revealed. 'He's (an) extremely hard worker. He's doing all the right things to make sure that he feels the best he possibly can for these games.'
Switch it up 🔁 @Acrisure | #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/t1Lfb1Bzdn
— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) February 21, 2025
'He'll get back at it. We're excited for that. There's another day of rest for him before we play Iowa on Sunday.'
Lombardi only has one assist in his two games since returning. But if the coach feels good about how he's coming along, that should be music to the ears of Red Wings fans everywhere.
He has all the tools; he just needs to get used to using them again.
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