Detroit Red Wings Re-Assign Steven Kampfer
The Detroit Red Wings recalled veteran blueliner Steven Kampfer from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, three days ago. Today, after a stay on the roster that did not include an NHL game played, the Red Wings have re-assigned Kampfer back to the AHL.
This move did not come with any other announcements, although seeing as the Red Wings have a whopping seven players on injured reserve, the natural first place to look to is there. Since this re-assignment leaves the Red Wings with just six healthy defensemen on their active roster, it could be an indication that veteran Olli Maatta is nearing a return to full health.
In sending down Kampfer the Red Wings have sent down an offseason acquisition that has fit in well with their AHL affiliate. Through 19 games so far this season Kampfer has 10 points. The 34-year-old defenseman signed in Detroit after a strong 2021-22 in the KHL. In 46 games for KHL side Ak-Bars Kazan, Kampfer had 30 points.
Kampfer is a veteran of over 230 NHL games and could be in line to play in his first NHL game since 2020-21 if he is called up once again. In the meantime, though, he’ll head back to Grand Rapids and resume his role as one of the team’s top all-around defensemen.
Jakub Vrana Enters Follow-Up Phase Of Player Assistance Program
Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana is now eligible to return to action after moving into the follow-up phase of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. According to a press release from the league, his care “continues to be administered” but the dynamic forward’s status has been changed to available.
Vrana entered the program in October and has played just two games this season. He scored 13 goals and 19 points in 26 games in 2021-22, and is on the second season of a three-year, $15.75MM contract with Detroit.
The team has not yet made any statement on when Vrana will be back in the lineup, but given the two months that it has been since he last suited up, it may take some time before he can contribute. The Red Wings are set to play the Ottawa Senators tomorrow afternoon. The team has enough cap space and roster room to activate Vrana if they choose to do so.
Detroit Red Wings Issue Injury Updates
The Detroit Red Wings issued a pair of injury updates before and during tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Earlier today, head coach Derek Lalonde noted that “we’ll know more” on the status of captain Dylan Larkin in the next couple of days, while defenseman Filip Hronek left their game against the Wild and will not return after colliding in a massive open-ice hit with Minnesota forward Ryan Reaves.
Larkin is out with a hand injury sustained in yesterday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team’s leader in assists and points has been critical in keeping Detroit in the playoff race despite a bevy of injuries early on in the year.
Hronek has been Detroit’s best defenseman this year, eclipsing the offensive and defensive play of last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Moritz Seider. His 24 points rank eighth among all NHL defensemen, and his +11 rating is tied for the team lead.
While Detroit has been able to keep its head above water, long-term absences to one or both of their best players this season could be the nail in the coffin for Detroit’s playoff hopes in an increasingly tight Eastern Conference race. The Red Wings are 10th in the conference and sit three points back of a playoff spot entering tonight’s play.
Red Wings Recall Soderblom; Place Maatta On Injured Reserve
The Detroit Red Wings are getting Elmer Soderblom back, recalling him from the minor leagues after his recent return from injury. To clear room on the roster, Olli Maatta has been moved to injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on December 6.
Soderblom, 21, played just two games with the Grand Rapids Griffins on what equated to a conditioning stint, failing to score a point in the process. The 6’8″ forward last played in the NHL over a month ago but should get a chance to re-enter the lineup in the coming days.
Maatta, meanwhile, is out with an illness and was already ruled out for tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Given how long it has been since his last game, he’ll be able to be activated as soon as he’s ready to return.
At that point, the team will have to make a decision on who to send back down. Steven Kampfer, recently recalled from the minors, could be an option once Maatta is healthy enough to play.
Detroit Red Wings Place Robert Hagg On Injured Reserve
The Detroit Red Wings currently sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division but after dropping two in a row, are in danger of falling down the standings. As they try to get back on track, they’ll have to compete without depth defenseman Robert Hagg, who was placed on injured reserve today. In his place, Steven Kampfer has been recalled from the minor leagues.
This is exactly why the Red Wings signed Kampfer in the offseason, bringing him back from a year spent playing in the KHL. The U.S. Olympian has more than 230 games of NHL experience and can essentially step directly into a third-pairing role if needed. Now 34, Kampfer last appeared in the NHL during the 2020-21 season as a member of the Boston Bruins. He played in 20 games that year, recording five points and averaging nearly 17 minutes a night. Through 19 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the right-shot defenseman has ten points.
Hagg, meanwhile, is having a season to forget so far, missing a good chunk of training camp and now hitting injured reserve after just 13 appearances. The 6’2″ defenseman is a big, physical force on the ice but has never offered much in the way of puck-moving ability.
There’s actually an argument to be made that Kampfer is a better fit overall for the Red Wings, though losing defensive depth is never a good thing. Detroit is dealing with a number of injuries at the moment, with six players now on IR. The team is back in action this evening against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Magnus Hellberg Recalled From Conditioning Stint
- The Red Wings announced that they have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from his conditioning stint with AHL Grand Rapids. The 31-year-old had a 2.50 GAA and a .932 SV% in four starts with the Griffins. He’ll be Detroit’s third-stringer so this might be the last game action he sees for a little while.
Detroit Red Wings Activate, Re-Assign Elmer Soderblom
One of the interesting storylines for the Detroit Red Wings this season has been the emergence of Elmer Soderblom, who went directly from the SHL to the NHL and didn’t look out of place. After suffering an injury, though, he has missed the last several weeks, and will now have to face the grind of the AHL to get back on track. After activating him from injured reserve, the Red Wings have loaned Soderblom to the Grand Rapids Griffins to get back into game action.
Standing 6’8″ and towering over most of his opponents, the 21-year-old forward was part of the biggest line in the NHL earlier this year, along with Michael Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist. It was an impressive trio to see move around the ice, even if it failed to result in a ton of offensive production. The Swedish rookie scored just two goals in his 13 games before going down and is still looking for his first NHL assist.
Now healthy again, he’ll get his first taste of the AHL and try to replicate the scoring touch he had for Frolunda last year. In 52 games, Soderblom managed to score 21 goals at the SHL level, good enough for seventh in the league. As the rest of the hockey world marvels at a hulking, lanky forward in Buffalo that relies more on skill than physicality and is setting the NHL on fire, Red Wings fans can only dream about the flashes of potential that Soderblom has shown. While he will likely never match the kind of all-world production that Tage Thompson is providing, there should be a lesson of patience to be learned from the Sabres superstar.
Often, very large players take a little while longer to develop, as they figure out how to best utilize their massive frame against NHL opponents. Soderblom is just at the very beginning of his professional journey, and will be back with the Red Wings before long.
Detroit Red Wings Place Tyler Bertuzzi On Injured Reserve
Dec 2: Bertuzzi underwent successful surgery this morning and will be out for six weeks.
Dec 1: Despite being activated less than a month ago, Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi is headed back to the injured reserve list. Detroit announced today that they have placed their star forward on injured reserve.
In a corresponding move, they have recalled forward Austin Czarnik from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
This is not Bertuzzi’s first run-in with injury struggles. A back injury caused Bertuzzi to miss most of the 2020-21 season. Earlier this year, Bertuzzi was sidelined with a broken hand, one that he sustained after just two games played.
During Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Bertuzzi’s left hand was struck by a point shot from teammate Ben Chiarot. It’s another moment of poor luck for the 27-year-old power forward, and one that will come as bad news for the Red Wings overall.
When healthy, Bertuzzi is an important part of Detroit’s offensive attack. He scored 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games last season and has four points in nine games so far this year.
Bertuzzi’s replacement on the roster, Czarnik, is also a centerpiece offensive contributor, albeit for AHL Grand Rapids. So far this year Czarnik has 14 points in 12 AHL games, and he has 46 points in 146 career NHL games.
With Bertuzzi out of the picture, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde will have to decide whether to deploy Czarnik in Bertuzzi’s vacated spot on Michael Rasmussen and David Perron‘s line or to give that opportunity to someone lower on the depth chart.
Despite their injury troubles, the Red Wings are off to a strong start this season and will look to weather Bertuzzi’s absence as they build toward a possible playoff berth.
Magnus Hellberg Sent On AHL Conditioning Assignment
It’s been a whirlwind season for Magnus Hellberg, who started the year with the Seattle Kraken, was claimed by the Ottawa Senators, reclaimed by the Kraken, and then nabbed by the Detroit Red Wings a little over a week ago. At the time, it was something of a curious move, given the Red Wings already had two goaltenders – Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic – at the NHL level, but Detroit had shown interest in Hellberg since bringing him back to North America last season.
A few days ago, Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside posited a theory about what the Red Wings could do with their three-headed goaltending monster. It included conditioning stints in the minor leagues for Hellberg and Nedeljkovic, which has now partly come true. The former has been sent to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins for conditioning, allowing him to be assigned to the AHL without clearing waivers.
This doesn’t completely solve the issue, as a conditioning stint can only be two weeks in length. The idea, perhaps, is to basically swap the two by sending Nedeljkovic for a stint when that two weeks is up. The trick is that a conditioning stint does not remove a player from the NHL roster, meaning the Red Wings would be dedicating three spots to goaltenders either way.
At the very least, this should allow Hellberg to actually see some game action. The 31-year-old has played only once all season, a start for the Senators in which he stopped 29 of 31 shots.
Dan Belisle Passes Away At 85
Former Detroit Red Wings front office member Dan Belisle has passed away at age 85. The team released a statement announcing his passing Wednesday night.
While his name may not be well-known across hockey circles now, Belisle helped put together one of the greatest modern-day dynasties we’ve seen in the turn-of-the-century Red Wings. While Belisle last served as an assistant coach for the Red Wings in 1987, he stayed on with the team’s front office as a pro scout. He was vital in adding players via free agency that bolstered the 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Belisle was also the head coach of the Washington Capitals for 1978-79 and part of the 1979-80 season. He also suited up in four NHL games, all in 1960-61 with the New York Rangers, scoring two goals.
PHR sends its best wishes to the Belisle family during this time.