Red Wings Claim Christian Djoos Off Waivers

The first waiver claim of the year is in as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have claimed defenseman Christian Djoos off waivers from Anaheim.

The 26-year-old split last season between Washington and Anaheim after he was dealt to the Ducks just before the trade deadline in exchange for winger Daniel Sprong.  Djoos suited up just twice for the Capitals but was a regular in Anaheim’s lineup after the trade, playing in nine games while logging more than 20 minutes a night.  He spent most of the season prior to the trade in the minors, putting up five goals and 27 assists in just 42 games with AHL Hershey.

Djoos signed a one-year, $1MM deal with Anaheim during the stoppage for the pandemic, a deal that actually saw his salary drop by $250K.  Had he cleared waivers, his entire cap hit would have been removed off the Ducks’ books in the minors but it’s now gone entirely with him out of the organization.

Instead, he’ll now join a new-look Detroit back end that also now has veteran Marc Staal plus free agent acquisitions Troy Stecher and Jonathon Merrill in the group.  Djoos will likely battle Merrill and returnee Alex Biega for playing time and could now have the opportunity to play a more regular role after spending most of last year in the minors.