Report: Red Wings' top prospects may still not be NHL ready.

Many fans in Detroit have believed for some time now that both Anthony Mantha and Dylan Larkin are ready to play at the NHL level, but Red Wings management may not agree. In a recent article from George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press, Red Wings' GM Ken Holland seemed to indicate some doubts about the ability of both men to crack the line up next season. That's not to say that Holland thinks either player is under performing, although earlier reports suggest Mantha has disappointed management, but Holland did make it clear it was far from a guarantee that either man was NHL ready. From the Detroit Free Press:

“Realistically, I think he’s going to have to come in — it’s going to be a struggle for him to make the team,” Holland said of Mantha. “You gotta come in and take the job. We’ve probably got 14, 15, 16 forwards that we think, legitimately, are going to be competing for a spot on the team. I’m not even sure if Anthony’s in that group. “Then there’s another group of young players — (Andreas) Athanasiou, (Tomas) Nosek, Mantha — that we think are going to be Red Wings. Are they going to be Red Wings in September? They gotta come in and knock somebody out of the box.” What about Larkin? “Same thing,” Holland said. “My take on Larkin is he’s gotta be in our top 12. Coach (Jeff) Blashill’s gotta say to me, as we’re putting the team together, ‘I want him in the lineup.’ He’s not going to be a 13th, 14th forward.”

The expectations seem to be a little higher for Larkin, likely because most believe he has the greater upside, meaning he will have to work exceptionally hard this offseason if he intends to crack the line up.