Three Forwards Are Still Out. The New GM Won't Know What He Has Until They're Not.

Viktor Arvidsson, Mason Appleton, and Michael Rasmussen remain sidelined as camp approaches — a trio that was supposed to represent meaningful depth behind Detroit's top line. Arvidsson's situation is the most pointed: he was signed in July as the marquee depth-scoring addition, a forward coming off a 25-goal season in Boston, and he was on injured reserve within three weeks of the deal. He hasn't been available since.

The injury picture matters more than usual this offseason because whoever takes the GM job inherits a roster he can't fully read. The top of the lineup — Larkin, Raymond, DeBrincat, Seider — is established and elite. But the middle and bottom of the forward group is largely theoretical right now. You can't evaluate line combinations, you can't assess whether the depth actually works, and you can't make informed decisions about what else to add when three of your forwards haven't been on the ice.

The prospect tournament roster — Nate Danielson and Carter Bear among those included — gives Detroit something to look at in mid-September. That's fine as far as it goes. But the organizational questions that matter most won't get answered by a four-game tournament. They get answered when Arvidsson is healthy, when Rasmussen is back, when the new GM can finally see the whole roster in one place and figure out what he actually has.