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Red Wings Place Mason Appleton On IR, Recall Erik Gustafsson

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The Red Wings announced that winger Mason Appleton has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 29, with a lower-body injury. Coming up from the AHL is veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson to take his place on the active roster.

Appleton is already eligible to come off IR after missing at least seven days. He was only ticketed for a seven-to-10-day absence initially, so he’s already behind schedule and shouldn’t miss too much more time as a result. He won’t play tonight against the Oilers, but could return for this weekend’s tilt against the Blackhawks.

Appleton’s two-year, $5.8MM deal is the largest contract Detroit handed out to an external unrestricted free agent last offseason. The longtime Jets forward was brought in as a bottom-six fixture but has been deployed more as a top-nine piece, skating most of the time with some mix of Nate Danielson, Alex DeBrincat, and Marco Kasper. His production, though, hasn’t changed one bit from his career average. His three goals and nine points in 26 games fall right in line with his 0.35 lifetime points per game.

His ice time has also dipped. He’s averaging 13:34 per game for the Wings after skating at least 14 per game in each of the last five seasons for Winnipeg and Seattle. That’s despite playing a larger role on Detroit’s penalty kill than he did for the Jets. His 5-on-5 numbers aren’t anything special this year, either – he’s been outscored 17-14 and is bottom-three among Detroit forwards in most possession metrics.

They’ll no doubt be looking for smoother two-way play from him on the other side of this injury. In the meantime, Gustafsson will get his second stint on the roster this season after Simon Edvinsson left yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Flames with a lower-body injury, making him questionable for the second half of their Alberta back-to-back tonight. Detroit already had righty Travis Hamonic available as an extra, but Edvinsson is a left shot – as is Gustafsson – and they likely don’t want to force anyone to their offside.

Gustafsson is a skilled puck-mover and a great power-play option – he racked up 60 points with the Blackhawks back in 2018-19 – but he’s a defensive liability at even strength and wasn’t a good fit in a Detroit lineup that desperately needed to improve its 5-on-5 play to make a run at the playoffs this season. In the back half of a two-year, $4MM deal, he landed on waivers to begin the season and has spent most of the year in Grand Rapids aside from a five-day recall in November. He logged a -1 rating and two shots in his lone appearance of the season back on Nov. 26 against the Predators.

The veteran of 516 NHL games has dominated the minor-league circuit as his name circulates in trade talks, awaiting his next extended NHL opportunity. He’s clicking at a point per game through 14 appearances and is tied for second on Grand Rapids with a +13 rating.

Craig Smith Announces Retirement

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As expected, forward Craig Smith has hung up his skates after 14 years in the NHL. The Magnuson Hockey Agency, which represented Smith, announced the retirement.

Smith’s professional career began back in 2009, when he was selected with the 98th overall pick by the Nashville Predators. He spent two years following the draft playing for the NCAA’s University of Wisconsin, scoring 27 goals and 76 points in 82 games while being named the program’s captain in his second season.

Impressively, after a standout performance for Team USA at the 2011 IIHF World Championships, Smith jumped right to the NHL in the 2011-12 season with the Predators. He finished 12th in Calder Trophy voting that year, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 72 games — good for eighth in scoring on the team.

Due to some injury troubles, Smith skated in four games for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, which would serve as the only AHL playing time Smith had throughout his career. Over the next eight years, Smith scored 148 goals and 294 points in 589 games with Nashville, averaging 14:57 of ice time in a middle-six role. He had a far lesser track record of success in the postseason, tallying seven goals and 16 points in 52 games from 2012 to 2020.

After his five-year, $21.25MM extension with Nashville concluded after the 2019-20 season, Smith reached free agency for the first time at 33 years old. Due to the pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith had to wait until mid-October to sign his next contract, which became a three-year, $9.3MM deal with the Boston Bruins.

He enjoyed a pair of relatively productive seasons with the Bruins before transitioning to a bottom-six role in his final season. In the last year of his deal, Smith was traded to the Washington Capitals in the trade that sent Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to New England.

The Madison, WI native would only sign two more NHL contracts after that trade — one with the Dallas Stars, and another with the Chicago Blackhawks before ultimately ending his career with the Detroit Red Wings. Smith finished his career with 220 goals and 452 points in 987 games, becoming the fifth-highest scoring Wisconsin-born player behind Joe Pavelski, Phil Kessel, Gary Suter, and Ryan Suter.

We at PHR congratulate Smith on a solid career and wish him the best in his next chapter.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports. 

Canucks, Red Wings Have Reportedly Spoken About Quinn Hughes

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Following up on his report from Saturday Headlines, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported on another team that has spoken to the Vancouver Canucks regarding a potential trade for star defenseman Quinn Hughes. In today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Friedman shares that the Detroit Red Wings have inquired about Hughes’ availability.

Like his update linking Hughes to the New Jersey Devils, it doesn’t appear anything is imminent with the Red Wings, either. About New Jersey, Friedman said, “I do not believe there is anything imminent. I don’t even know that they’re anywhere far along. But I do believe that a conversation was had about where things stand and where they might be going.” It appears similar conversations have been had with Detroit.

This isn’t the first report linking the Red Wings to Hughes, although it is the first confirming that the interest is legitimate. A week and a half ago, Jeff Marek of The Sheet reported that Detroit was a team to watch if the Canucks were open to moving Hughes, citing defenseman Simon Edvinsson as a potential headliner that could head back to Vancouver.

Additionally, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested that Lucas Raymond would be of the most interest to the Canucks. For what it’s worth, although he didn’t mention a specific name, Friedman believes that if they were to move Hughes, Vancouver would only trade him unless a prominent center was coming back, which would make Edvinsson or Raymond a non-starter. There’s no indication the Red Wings would have any interest in moving either, even if they were able to acquire a defenseman of Hughes’ caliber.

Although the Red Wings don’t have the benefit of rostering Hughes’ brothers, the family’s connection to Detroit runs deep. Before debuting in the NHL, Hughes spent nearly four years in southeast Michigan, playing for the United States National Team Development Program before playing for the University of Michigan Wolverines.

Notably, during the 2018 NHL Draft, Detroit surprisingly selected Filip Zadina, who’s now playing for the NL’s HC Davos, while Hughes was still on the table. The Canucks selected Hughes one pick later with the seventh overall pick.

Much like it would be for any team, acquiring a consistent Norris Trophy candidate such as Hughes would be a franchise-altering move for the Red Wings. The team already has a top-pairing defenseman in Moritz Seider, though he doesn’t offer the same offensive profile as Hughes.

Regardless, whether it be with Detroit or New Jersey, it doesn’t appear that the Canucks are close to trading Hughes or even firmly entertaining the idea. However, with their position in the standings and the fact that Hughes is expected to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, teams from around the league are beginning to gain confidence that the Canucks could end up moving him now rather than lose him for nothing after next year.

Rangers Searching For Blueline Power Play Help

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With blueliner Adam Fox landing on LTIR last month due to an upper-body injury late last month, the Rangers find themselves without their top blueliner and a key threat offensively from the back end.  While they won’t be able to add someone who can log the nearly 24 minutes per game that Fox can, finding someone who could help in the offensive zone in a more limited role could be more doable.

To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that New York is looking to see if they can acquire someone to help quarterback the power play.  One player he suggested as a possible option is former Ranger Erik Gustafsson who is currently playing in the minors after the Red Wings passed him through waivers unclaimed back in October.

Interestingly, offense from the defense hasn’t been an issue for the Rangers in the early going this season with their blueliners combining for 16 tallies, good for fourth in the league.  Fox only has three of those while newcomer Vladislav Gavrikov is leading the way with six.

However, Gavrikov, nor any of their other defenders, is a natural power play threat.  As a result, the Rangers have, at times, gone with five-forward units while Braden Schneider is second among New York defenders in power play ice time per game; he has all of one goal in 29 outings this season.  With Gavrikov not being utilized at all with the man advantage, their existing options are limited.

The Rangers currently have a power play success rate (19.4%) that checks in just below the league average (20%) while offensively, they’re in the bottom third of the league in total goals scored.  Filtering by conference, they’re the lowest-scoring team in the East in terms of goals per game.  Suffice it to say, there is certainly a void for GM Chris Drury to try to fill here.

However, their salary cap flexibility is rather limited.  Per PuckPedia, the Rangers are more than $1MM into LTIR already and while Fox being on there gives them some short-term wiggle room, they have to get back into compliance when he’s activated (or just over the $95.5MM ceiling as Matt Rempe is also on there at the moment).  That means whoever they look to get needs to be someone who has a cap hit that can be cleared off the books when Fox comes back.

That’s not the case with Gustafsson.  In the final season of a two-year deal, he carries a $2MM cap charge, one that’s lowered to $850K while he’s in the minors.  Gustafsson could fit the extra role they want to fill as he did a few years ago with them but the higher cap charge means that Detroit would either need to retain or New York would need to send someone the other way to partially offset the money.  Whether they find a way to make that work or find someone else to fill that void, it appears that Drury is searching for some outside help on the back end.

Seider Could Be Comparable For Edvinsson's Next Contract

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The Red Wings gave Moritz Seider a big contract two years ago when they signed him to a seven-year, $59.85MM contract ($8.55MM AAV).  In his latest mailbag (subscription link), The Athletic’s Max Bultman suggests that pending RFA blueliner Simon Edvinsson’s next contract could fall in that range.  While he lacks the offensive output that players like Jackson LaCombe and Luke Hughes ($9MM apiece) have achieved, the 22-year-old is averaging nearly 22 minutes per game, not far off Seider’s usage in his platform year.  With the salary cap projected to jump much faster in the next few years, it’s certainly plausible that Edvinsson’s next contract lands in Seider’s range even if he isn’t quite as impactful overall as the 2022 Calder Trophy winner.

Latest On Simon Edvinsson

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  • Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a top pick at the 2021 draft, has firmly established himself as a core part of Detroit’s future on defense. As a result, interest is picking up on what exactly Edvinsson’s next contract will look like. The trend has been for teams to sign key young players to contract extensions with as much term as possible, and Edvinsson could be no different. The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote today that “it’s very possible Edvinsson lands close to Moritz Seider’s $8.55 million AAV” on his upcoming extension. Bultman cited Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who will make $9MM AAV on his next deal, as a key comparable. LaCombe scored 43 points playing 22:18 time on ice per game in 2024-25, while Edvinsson scored 31 points and played 21:07 per game.

Which NHLer Is Most Likely To Seek A Contract Termination?

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The NHL has recently experienced an unusual trend: an increase in players choosing to forgo guaranteed contracts that still owe them millions to find a playing situation that better suits them. This process involves the player clearing standard waivers with the team anticipating they’ll refuse to report to their AHL affiliate, creating a breach of contract that allows the team to place the player on unconditional waivers, before ultimately finalizing the contract termination.

Last year, Brandon Saad did this by walking away from the remaining year and a half of his deal and over $3MM in salary. This summer, forward Conor Sheary followed suit, foregoing the final year of his contract and saving the Lightning $1.5MM. Just a few weeks ago, Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf also stepped back, forfeiting over $2MM in salary. More recently, Alexandre Texier left the Blues and signed with the Canadiens for roughly half his previous salary. In effect, all these players essentially halved their earnings to find situations better suited to them, raising the question: who might be the next player to break their current contract?

Dozens, if not hundreds, of players under NHL contracts could be described as unhappy with their playing time. However, most, if not all, would be satisfied with the current NHL paychecks they receive. Players such as Ryan Graves, Tristan Jarry, and Ville Husso will not be included for purposes of this article. While they are veterans who have earned good money in their NHL careers, they are still early in their lucrative new deals, and they have spent time in the AHL over the last calendar year. This piece will focus on players in a unique position regarding their contracts who might be willing to walk away from guaranteed money if they can’t be moved via trade or waivers.

Penguins forward Philip Tomasino is the top name on the list and has already been made available to every NHL team this month after he was placed on waivers by the Penguins and eventually assigned to the minors after passing through. Signed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal last offseason, many fans were surprised when the Penguins non-tendered him in the summer, only to re-sign him to that one-year pact.

The move kept his salary lower, but Tomasino has still failed to provide any value to Pittsburgh this season, with just one assist in nine NHL games. Tomasino also started slowly last year with Nashville, posting a single assist in his first 11 games before a midseason trade to Pittsburgh sparked a turnaround. Hence, a comeback isn’t out of the question.

Clearly, passing on waivers showed a complete lack of interest in Tomasino at his current price, but at league minimum, teams might be more willing to take a shot. However, the chances of that happening seem low, as the Penguins likely aren’t keen to use up a salary retention slot on him, and Tomasino likely doesn’t want to leave the highest salary he’s earned in his NHL career. There’s always a possibility that the Mississauga, Ontario native stays in the AHL for the rest of the season, but given his six points in three AHL games, he might find a way to work his way back to the NHL, just like teammates Graves and Jarry did over the past year.

Next up is a player who is nearly 10 years older than Tomasino: defenseman Erik Gustafsson of the Red Wings. Like Tomasino, Gustafsson is in the final year of his contract and trying to maintain his NHL career, but that is where many similarities end. Gustafsson is a ten-year NHL veteran nearing the end of his playing career, whereas Tomasino is just beginning his.

Not so long ago, Gustafsson was regarded as a capable third-pairing defenseman. Many praised the Red Wings for signing him to a two-year, $4MM contract in July 2024. That deal proved to be ill-fated. Gustafsson’s play declined last season, especially on the offensive side. His puck handling was sloppy, and he wasn’t the same contributor as in previous years.

This poor performance led to a demotion this season, with the 33-year-old playing most of his games in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Credit to Gustafsson for stepping up and performing well in the AHL, but it does raise questions about whether he will finish the year in Detroit. The Wings might consider trading him or putting him on waivers (again), but given his recent play and salary, that seems unlikely.

Another factor in Gustafsson’s situation is the fact that he’s made $2MM or more in just three NHL seasons. One of these was the shortened 2020-21 season, which had a 56-game schedule, meaning Gustafsson’s $3MM AAV effectively amounted to a $2MM salary that year. This income would have been subject to deferrals, escrow, agent fees, and taxes, so Gustafsson actually received less than half of it. Aside from that, Gustafsson is nearing the end of his career and has earned somewhere in the range of $10MM-$12MM (gross income), so he probably isn’t willing to walk away from $1.5MM without at least the promise of another contract elsewhere.

Another Detroit defenseman who might seem like a contender is Justin Holl, who is also 33 years old and in the final year of his contract. Holl signed a three-year, $10.4MM deal with the Red Wings in July 2023, but that contract has proven to be poor value for Detroit. Like Gustafsson, Holl was a turnover machine last season and has ended up in the AHL this year. The signing never made much sense from the start, as Holl has always been a fairly average defenseman, and not the type you rush to overpay on July 1, which is precisely what Detroit did.

Holl is probably still an NHL defenseman and could likely find a role if he didn’t have a $3.4MM price tag attached. However, to move him, Detroit would probably need to include an asset and retain salary. Since he’s a pending UFA, they won’t go through the trouble. Considering he has earned over $15MM in his career, you would think Holl might be inclined to leave his contract early if given the chance. Still, it seems unlikely because this is probably his last big NHL payday, and he can wait until summer to sign a two-way deal for league minimum.

Another player to consider is Oilers winger Max Jones. Jones was acquired last season from the Bruins and played 19 games down the stretch, but didn’t contribute much with just a goal and an assist. Jones can skate and hit; beyond that, his abilities are pretty limited. He is in the second year of a two-year, $2MM deal, and since he’s earning one-way money, it’s unlikely he would walk away from it to pursue another job. Jones has spent the entire season in the AHL after passing through waivers in October, and he’s probably best served to ride out his current contract and hope for a promotion to the NHL. The 27-year-old is lucky to have time on his side and can look for a two-way contract in the off-season, but if he chooses to opt out, he’ll likely find a two-way league minimum deal that puts him in the same position he’s in now, just wearing a different jersey.

Other players who might consider terminating their contracts soon include Jets forward Tanner Pearson. Pearson has been receiving fourth-line minutes in Winnipeg and has faced challenging assignments in that role. He’s got just three goals and an assist in 23 games this season. However, with a $1MM salary, he might choose to stay the course and play the hand he’s been dealt. It’s unlikely that Pearson would find a team willing to give him a top-nine role at this stage of his career, so he’s probably best advised to stay in Winnipeg under contract.

Another possibility could be Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram, but his play in the AHL this season has been atrocious, with a 3-3-2 record and a .873 SV%. Ingram is making $1.95MM in the final year of his deal and is probably best served continuing to cash his cheques and trying to improve his game to get back to the NHL. Ingram is also in a position with the Oilers where it might be his best route back to an NHL lineup, given the issues Edmonton’s goaltending has faced this year.

A few final names of players who could be contenders to terminate their current contracts mutually include defensemen Daniil Miromanov of the Flames and Kyle Burroughs of the Kings, as well as forward Carl Grundström of the Flyers. These three players are in the final years of their deals, earning over $1MM this season, and are currently playing in the AHL.

Latest On Mason Appleton

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Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan told Daniella Bruce, Detroit’s Broadcast Reporter, that forward Mason Appleton will miss 7-10 days due to a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old longtime Winnipeg Jet, signed by the Wings to a two-year deal last summer, is a key bottom six two way forward with nine points in 26 games this season. 

Red Wings Activate Michael Rasmussen, Reassign Erik Gustafsson to AHL

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Earlier today before their matinee game versus Tampa Bay, the Detroit Red Wings updated that forward Michael Rasmussen was activated from injured reserve, while defenseman Erik Gustafsson was sent back down to Grand Rapids (AHL). 

Rasmussen was placed on IR just two days ago, having missed three games before his return today. The former high draft pick has managed to establish himself as a solid bottom six forward capable of reaching the 30-point mark, earning himself a four-year extension worth $3.2MM per year. Since inking the deal in 2024, the British Columbia native has not performed at such a level, with only seven points in 20 games this year, but still just 26, he figures to be a useful depth forward capable of filling roles across the lineup for the near future. Sure enough, Rasmussen found the back of the net today, although the Wings fell to Tampa Bay, 6-3. 

On the other hand, Gustafsson’s fall from grace has been well documented to this point, once a 60-point getter, and in more recent years still a valuable powerplay specialist. Now at 33, in the final year of his two-year contract worth $2MM at the NHL level, Gustafsson’s NHL days are likely numbered as he has been surpassed by the Wings’ many talented young blueliners. The veteran appears to be a quick call-up for Detroit when needed, but otherwise is set to spend most of the season with the Griffins. Having a player as capable as Gustafsson in the AHL is certainly beneficial, as the Grand Rapids boasts a remarkable 14-1-1 record to-date, and the Swedish defenseman will likely continue elite AHL production, as he has eight points in 10 games. 

With December approaching, the Red Wings remain in the Wild Card mix, but as losers of three in a row, and another decisive loss today, Rasmussen will need to help drive Todd McLellan’s bottom six with possible reinforcements on the way as Steve Yzerman tries to end the team’s nine year playoff drought. 

Red Wings Activate Elmer Söderblom, Place Michael Rasmussen On IR

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The Detroit Red Wings announced they’ve activated bottom-six forward Elmer Söderblom from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, the team has placed forward Michael Rasmussen on injured reserve, retroactive to November 20th.

Söderblom ends his tenure on the injured reserve after nearly three weeks. The former sixth-round pick, who made the Red Wings’ opening night roster, had been out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury since November 9th.

Regardless, Söderblom’s start to the 2025-26 season raises the question of whether he was injured before officially being removed from the lineup. In his 11 games leading up to the injury, Söderblom had only tallied one goal with a -4 rating, averaging 10:27 of ice time per game.

It’s a far cry from the jolt of energy he provided to Detroit toward the end of last season. Waiting until January for his full-time recall, Söderblom scored four goals and 11 points in 26 games for the Red Wings last year, managing a 91.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength as one of the better defensive forwards on the team. This season, he’s only managed an 89.4%.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen has been similarly disappointing throughout the current campaign. As one of the last vestiges of the Ken Holland era in Detroit, Rasmussen had scored two goals and five points in 19 games, largely relegated to a bottom-six role.

Although his CorsiFor% at even strength has continued to increase this season under a full year of Todd McLellan’s stewardship, his defensive metrics have similarly dropped like Söderblom’s. Regardless, Detroit may have to stick it out with Rasmussen even if he doesn’t improve, as he’s signed through the 2027-28 campaign, though he doesn’t have any trade protection.

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