In a mere three months, the Detroit Red Wings will be lining up to take on opponents as they start the 2019-20 season.

It’ll be the first season with Steve Yzerman as general manager, and the fifth with Jeff Blashill as head coach. A familiar face is back in forward Valtteri Filppula, and a new one in defenseman Patrik Nemeth. Niklas Kronwall has yet to announce if he’s retiring or returning, and Yzerman could otherwise alter the roster.

Yzerman said during a July 1 conference call that everyone is projected to be ready to start training camp – principally that means Mike Green (virus), Jonathan Ericsson (upper- and lower-body injuries), Trevor Daley (upper- and lower-body injuries), Jacob de la Rose (cardiac incidents) are expected to be available in September.

Yzerman has stressed job competition for veterans and newcomers, which should make for an interesting nine-game exhibition season.

Here are projections for the Oct. 5 opening night lineup.

Forwards

Line 1: Dylan Larkin centering Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi

This line was put together with eight games to go last season and yielded 15 points from Mantha, 13 from Bertuzzi and 11 from Larkin. Larkin brings out the best in Mantha, as Mantha is all but forced to showcase his powerful stride because of how good a skater Larkin is. Bertuzzi is a combination pest and scorer. It’s easy to see how much they enjoy playing with one another.

Line 2: Frans Nielsen centering Andreas Athanasiou and Taro Hirose

Nielsen plays a 200-foot game and he and Athanasiou have clicked in the past. Hirose has some of that Thomas Vanek-level hockey IQ, and he and Athanasiou could be dangerous offensively while Nielsen brings defensive responsibility. I could see Filip Zadina being a fit down the road with Nielsen and Athanasiou.

Line 3: Valtteri Filppula centering Luke Glendening and Darren Helm

This has potential to be an excellent shut-down line. All three can play center and wing and are good on faceoffs. Filppula had 17 goals last season, and both Helm and Glendening are top-notch skaters who can contribute a bit offensively (Glendening had 10 goals last season).

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Line 4: Jacob de la Rose between Christoffer Ehn and Justin Abdelkader

It will be interesting to see how Yzerman handles Abdelkader if his play mirrors that of last season (Abdelkader had just six goals among 13 points in 71 games, going 40 games between Goals 5 and 6). If Abdelkader doesn’t have an impact on games, will Yzerman put him in the minors to send a message? I like what Ehn brings – he’s a strong skater, dependable, and makes only $800,000. De La Rose, a waiver-wire acquisition from last October, is likewise sound defensively.

Reserve: Ryan Kuffner

He didn’t have the same impact as fellow college free-agent Hirose, but Kuffner plays a smart, competitive game. He’ll benefit from practices.

Who’s not there (yet):Zadina made a valid point during June’s development camp when he noted he plays better with skilled players. He needs linemates who can get him the puck, which is why it could help him that Joe Veleno will start his pro career i the fall. It'd be great to see Zadina make the Wings. To do that, he’ll have to show improved explosiveness in his mobility during exhibition season. Maybe he’s able to accomplish that through offseason training (though he suffered a setback with a hamstring injury in June) but right now, it seems more likely he’ll start the season in Grand Rapids.

Based on how much 2017 first-round pick Michael Rasmussen struggled the second half of his rookie year, he’s ripe to start the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He needs to figure out how to win more battles playing against men. Evgeny Svechnikov, a first-round pick in 2015, missed all of last season because of injury. He was ticketed for GR when he hurt a knee during an exhibition game.

Defense

Pair 1: Danny DeKeyser and Mike Green

DeKeyser is a workhorse — he led the team with 21:58 minutes per game — and is coming off a bounce-back season. Green is the team’s top offensive defenseman.

Pair 2: Patrik Nemeth and Filip Hronek

Nemeth was signed for his sound defensive style. He could be a good partner either for Hronek or Green, and however it shakes out, it gives the Wings a right-shot and a left-shot on their top two pairings.

Pair 3: Trevor Daley/Jonathan Ericsson and Dennis Cholowski

Given their injury history, it seems doubtful both Daley and Ericsson make it through preseason. Cholowski, 21, logged 52 games last season before his defensive lapses (he was a team-worst minus-20) earned him a learning stint in the minors. He played 25 games with the Griffins, producing 12 assists and an even rating. Playing him on the third pairing (instead of last season’s baptism as a top-pairing guy, a result of injuries to veteran defensemen) should ease Cholowski’s growing pains.

Reserve: Madison Bowey

He was described as a reclamation project when acquired in the Nick Jensen trade. Showed some progress during 17 games.

Who’s not there (yet): I think Oliwer Kaski, a free-agent signing out of Finland, will play with the Wings, but not from the start. He shoots right and his shot was one of the top reasons the Wings signed him, but he has limited experience playing on the smaller North American ice surface (2015-16 season with Western Michigan). Libor Sulak, a similar European free-agent signing in May 2017, was hyped for his skating and his shot, but he wasn’t able to translate his game to the North American sheet and is headed to the KHL. Kaski, who turns 24 in September, hopefully fares better, but odds are he’ll need a bit of an adjustment period.

Goaltending

Tandem: Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier

Bernier played better late in the season when Jeff Blashill opted to switch between Howard and Bernier every game. Seems sensible to start 2019-20 the same way.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.