Red Wings Forward Depth Evaporates With Kasper, Appleton, and Compher Injuries

The Detroit Red Wings are currently running a masterclass in how to test a team's forward depth before the season even has time to settle in.

According to Daily Faceoff, Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are officially out week-to-week, while J.T. Compher is lingering in the day-to-day waiting room.

Losing three forwards at once is the kind of roster math that forces a head coach to start looking at the AHL call-ups like they are prime Wayne Gretzky. It is one thing to shuffle a line, but it is another entirely to realize half your bottom-six is suddenly wearing street clothes.

This injury wave hits at the exact wrong time for Detroit. The Red Wings are already stumbling out of the gate in October, dropping a 2-0 shutout to the New York Rangers before losing a tight 3-2 game against the Winnipeg Jets.

When you are struggling to find the back of the net, subtracting three NHL-caliber forwards from the equation is not exactly a recipe for an offensive explosion. Kasper and Appleton being out week-to-week means Detroit has to survive a significant chunk of the early schedule with a patchwork penalty kill and a blender of a forward rotation.

For anyone looking at the puck line, Detroit's sudden lack of depth makes them a massive wild card. You cannot confidently back a team that is currently duct-taping its third and fourth lines together just to field a legal roster.

The Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators next. If they want to avoid an ugly start to the month, whoever is left standing in the locker room is going to have to play heavy minutes and actually find a way to score.