Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock made a bit of a statement with the lineup that he's set to ice for Thursday's season opener against the Boston Bruins.
Veteran forwards Stephen Weiss and Dan Cleary are set to be healthy scratches, while 2009 third-round draft pick Andrej Nestrasil will make his NHL debut, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.
Babcock explained his decisions after the morning skate:
"Whoever plays the best, they get to play more, and it doesn't matter what their name is, you just play him." - Mike Babcock #RedWings
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 9, 2014
Weiss is entering the second year of a $24.5 million deal with the club and is set to be Detroit's third-highest paid forward this season. His tenure with the Red Wings got off to a disastrous start, as he appeared in all of 26 games last with, with four points to his credit. He's believed to be fully recovered from sports hernia surgery, but may not be up to speed quite yet.
Cleary signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Red Wings this summer, but Babcock is set on rolling with fresh legs for the time being, it would seem.
Nestrasil recorded 16 goals and 20 assists in 70 games for the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins last season.