Some tough decisions are soon going to be made by the brain trust of the Detroit Red Wings. It won’t be long until forwards Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton will be coming off IR.

“I would expect both of them to play on the (upcoming four-game) trip,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “I don’t know what day, but on this trip coming up.”

That means at least two players on the current roster will be giving. Logically, historically, it would be the two guys on recall from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, journeymen veterans Sheldon Dries and John Leonard.

Leonard was a healthy scratch for Detroit in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Dries, though, was out on the ice, scratching an itch the team has found hard to reach this season.

He’s dramatically improving the Red Wings’ penalty kill.

“He’s become a real valuable penalty killer,” McLellan said. “Our penalty kill’s improved since we called him up.”

The math shows how dramatic of a swing it’s been. When Dries plays, Detroit shows an 80.6% success rate on the penalty kill (25-of-31). When he’s not in the lineup, the Red Wings’ PK sinks to 59% (13-of-22).

“I think he plays a big part in it, and a lot of times he’s starting,” McLellan said. “So there’s value to the team right away.”

Lately, Dries and JT Compher are the first Detroit forwards over the boards when the penalty-killing unit goes to work.

Red Wings Trust Dries

Most of all, coaches love players that they can trust. Clearly, Dries has won the trust of the Detroit coaching staff. It was his faceoff win that led to the only Red Wings goal on Thursday.

“We trust him in a lot of different situations, and a lot of times he’s getting it done,” McLellan said.

The same trust has not been won by Nate Danielson. The Red Wings have given the second-year pro and 2023 first-round draft pick plenty of rope to show then he’s an NHLer. And he continues to hang himself.

On the winning goal by Vegas in Thursday’s loss, Danielson stood motionless at the Detroit blue line as Vegas forward Trevor Connelly blew past him on an easy zone entry. It was the first miscue that resulted in Connelly potting the game-winning tally.

Danielson still seems to be finding himself as an NHLer. He’s shown little in the way of offensive creativity. That only serves to make his defensive errors all the more glaring.

Meanwhile, Dries keeps winning kudos.

“He will make errors by commission, not by omission,” McLellan said. “He’s very diligent when it comes to the defensive finer points. He can win some faceoffs. He checks well five-on-five, and he understands who he is.

“He’s just happy to do that, and we’re happy to have him. So it’s been a nice addition to our team.”

That addition could very well mean Dries won’t be among the subtractions when the Red Wings need to pare down the roster to make room for Kasper and Appleton.