Detroit Red Wings Shopping Defensemen
David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that the Detroit Red Wings are attempting to resolve their surplus of defensemen through the trade market. Pagnotta specifically mentioned Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic as trade bait moving forward, though Justin Holl could likely be thrown into the mix as well.
Gustafsson would be the least surprising veteran blueliner to move in the next few weeks. Although he technically made the team out of training camp, he was waived before the start of the campaign and was reassigned once the team welcomed James van Riemsdyk to the active roster. Given that he’s only making $2MM this season, Gustafsson would be one of the easiest ones to move.
Still, there’s an argument to be made that Gustafsson is overpaid, even on that reasonable salary. He had a disappointing first year with the Red Wings last season, scoring two goals and 18 points in 60 games despite being marketed as an offensive defenseman. His -19 rating finished as the worst on the team, and his 16:19 ATOI was second to last among defensemen with more than 40 games played.
The latter two would be somewhat trickier to move. Detroit only recently signed Hamonic (August 15th), and has a shortage of depth on the right side. Regardless of his disastrous play during the team’s home opener, it would be relatively uncharacteristic for a team to move on from a free agent signing that quickly.
Meanwhile, Holl would be the most difficult to move given his salary for the rest of the 2025-26 season. In potentially the worst signing for the Red Wings under Steve Yzerman‘s stewardship, the team gave Holl a three-year, $10.2MM ($3.4MM AAV) contract in 2023, with a 10-team no-trade list in each year of the deal. Like Gustafsson, Holl was sent through waivers shortly before the start of the regular season. Now playing for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Holl is unlikely to have much of a market considering 31 teams passed on him via the waiver wire.
Regardless, with the positive play of newcomer Jacob Bernard-Docker and youngster Axel Sandin Pellikka, the trio of veterans is unlikely to get an opportunity with Detroit anytime soon. A hypothetical trade wouldn’t entirely be without precedent, either. After the emergence of Albert Johansson last year, the Red Wings traded Olli Määttä to the Utah Hockey Club for a 2025 third-round pick in late October.
Still, none of this is urgent. The Red Wings have enough cap space to absorb Gustafsson and Holl’s buried contracts, and could do the same with Hamonic if he continues slumping. However, it would be a better service to the players if Detroit could put them in a situation with more opportunities.
Red Wings Activate James Van Riemsdyk
The Red Wings announced Saturday that they’ve activated winger James van Riemsdyk from the non-roster list and assigned defenseman Erik Gustafsson to AHL Grand Rapids to open a spot on the active roster. Gustafsson previously cleared waivers on Monday, so he doesn’t need them again for today’s demotion.
van Riemsdyk, 36, will presumably be making his Red Wings debut tonight when they host the Maple Leafs, where he played from 2012-18. JVR joined Detroit on a one-year, $1MM deal with up to $750K in performance bonuses in free agency this past summer after churning out 16 goals in 71 games with the Blue Jackets last year, his most since the 2021-22 season. He’s far from being the 60-point producer he was at his peak but has still averaged a healthy 41 points per 82 games over the last four seasons.
Based on line rushes at yesterday’s practice, van Riemsdyk is likely to draw in for Elmer Söderblom in a fourth-line role alongside Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton. That means rookies Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Emmitt Finnie, and Axel Sandin Pellikka will all remain in the lineup after making their NHL debuts in Detroit’s opening-night 5-1 loss to the Canadiens.
van Riemsdyk had missed most of training camp while on personal leave, so he landed on the non-roster list to begin the year as he got back up to game speed in practice. He and Appleton were the most notable signings from what was otherwise a relatively quiet free agency period for the Red Wings.
The reassignment for Gustafsson is the easy path to take after his waiver clearance. The lefty signed a two-year, $4MM contract in 2024 that, like a good portion of general manager Steve Yzerman‘s recent free-agent pickups on the blue line, hasn’t worked out all that well. He only made 60 appearances last season due to a combination of a late-season injury and healthy scratches, and his standing on the team in this year’s camp was further limited by the emergence of Sandin-Pellikka and a new batch of newer, cheaper UFA pickups in Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic.
Gustafsson will still count for $850K against the cap for the Wings while in the minors. After being scratched for Detroit’s season opener, he’ll now be ticketed for his first AHL action in eight years, last recording 17 points in 25 games for Rockford while in the Blackhawks organization in 2017-18.
Red Wings’ Erik Gustafsson Out Long-Term, Elmer Söderblom Day-To-Day
The Detroit Red Wings continue to receive bad news from their blue-line. Head coach Todd McLellan shared that veteran defender Erik Gustafsson will be out long-term with an undisclosed injury. McLellan didn’t provide a specific timeline for Gustafsson’s absence, though he’s been significantly downgraded after only being designated as out day-to-day on Thursday. Rookie forward Elmer Söderblom will also be out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury, and remains day-to-day.
Gustafsson appeared to suffer his injury in the third period of Detroit’s Tuesday loss to the Washington Capitals after a collision with Capitals forward Lars Eller sent him crashing into the boards. No specifics of Gustafsson’s injury have been revealed, though his awkward fall into the boards could suggest knee or ankle related issues.
In response to these injuries, Detroit has recalled forwards Austin Watson and Brogan Rafferty under emergency conditions.
Now, it seems Gustafsson’s scary crash will indeed result in a long-term absence. He’s been leaned on heavily down the stretch, and even played upwards of 20 minutes a night in Detroit’s second-half. Gustafsson ranks third on the Detroit blue-line in scoring with 18 points in 60 games. He’s also posted a team-worst minus-19. Both statlines are a downtick from Gustafsson’s 31 points and plus-three in 76 games with the New York Rangers last season; which was itself a step down from 42 points and a plus-nine in the 2022-23 season.
Detroit will need to fill vacancies on the second pair and second powerplay unit with Gustafsson out. That latter hole has opened the door for rookie Simon Edvinsson to finally earn consistent powerplay ice time. Edvinsson has 25 points in 64 games this season. He also ranks third on the blue-line in blocks (118) and hits (66) behind Moritz Seider and Ben Chiarot. Edvinsson is known for his puck control and passing ability – and racking up impacts away from the puck has helped earn him a chance at special teams minutes.
Who fills Gustafsson’s even-strength role is less clear. Rookie Albert Johansson seems like the best candidate to step into a bigger role, after playing over 21 minutes of action in each of his last two games. Johansson has eight points and a minus-seven in 47 games this year. He’s also tallied 76 blocked shots and 49 hits – stats that rank first and third on the Red Wings’ blue-line on a per-game basis. If not Johansson, Detroit is likely to award bigger minutes to Chiarot and William Lagesson. Chiarot has 11 points in 67 games, while Lagesson hasn’t yet scored through two appearances.
While the Red Wings rush to fill Gustafsson’s openings, rookie Söderblom will focus on not losing his momentum. He has nine points in 22 games this season – one more point in one more game than he totaled in his first taste of the NHL in 2022-23. He’s been a sizeable addition to the Red Wings lineup, both in height and impact – giving the Wings a hint of the success that the New York Rangers have found in players like Adam Edstrom. Söderblom still has a path to pave before he’s an everyday piece of the lineup, but a strong return from injury could do the work for him.
The Red Wings bear with these injuries while sitting on the fringe of a hotly-contested playoff race. Five different teams have between 70 and 74 points in the Eastern Conference. Detroit sits on the low-end, while the Montreal Canadiens have hold of the second Wild Card spot on the other end. Properly filling Gustafsson’s void, and seeing the return of an impactful bottom-six piece like Söderblom, could heavily sway Detroit’s playoffs hopes as they approach their final 14 games of the season.
Injury Notes: Red Wings, Romanov, Jensen
The Red Wings lost both defenseman Erik Gustafsson and winger Elmer Söderblom to undisclosed injuries in Tuesday’s loss to the Capitals, and it doesn’t look like they’re getting either back this weekend against Vegas. Neither practiced during today’s session, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports. The former could be facing a longer-term absence, head coach Todd McLellan said. That’s not good news for a tumbling Red Wings team, whose playoff hopes are close to evaporating after a 2-8-0 run in their last 10 games. Gustafsson is third in points among defenders with 18, trailing Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. Söderblom, who’s seen time on the top line with Dylan Larkin as of late and has 3-6–9 in 22 games since being recalled in January, is day-to-day. They could be getting veteran defenseman Jeff Petry back in the lineup soon – he’s traveling with the club on their road trip after returning to practice but won’t play this weekend. He’s been out since early January with an undisclosed injury but had just six points in 34 games to begin the year with a minus-seven rating.
More from around the league:
- Islanders head coach Patrick Roy told reporters he doesn’t expect defenseman Alexander Romanov to draw in against the Canadiens tonight in a game with major postseason implications, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. He’s still dealing with the illness that held him out of Tuesday’s come-from-behind win over the Penguins. The 25-year-old is enjoying a strong season in career-high minutes, posting 4-14–18 with a plus-nine rating while averaging 22:46 per game. New York’s playoff chances could jump to 35% with a regulation win but drop to just 16% with a regulation loss, per MoneyPuck.
- Senators defenseman Nick Jensen remains unavailable tonight against Colorado, but he practiced with the club anyway, per TSN 1200 Ottawa. The 34-year-old righty will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury. With the Sens having the first wild card spot in the East all but locked up, Travis Hamonic slides into top-four deployment alongside Thomas Chabot with Jensen out. Acquired from the Capitals in last summer’s Jakob Chychrun trade, Jensen is averaging 20:20 per game in Ottawa and leads the team with a +17 rating.
Snapshots: Sharks, Johnson, Red Wings
The San Jose Sharks continue to miss defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Shakir Mukhamadulin, as well as goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, as all three recover from injury. Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka shared that, with only three skates remaining before San Jose’s season begins, it’s unlikely any of the trio are ready for opening day.
That’s a tremendous blow to the Sharks’ early roster, taking out not only longtime lineup-lock Vlasic and his rookie replacement Mukhamadulin, but also delaying Askarov’s debut after the team paid a pretty penny to acquire him via trade. San Jose sent top prospect David Edstrom, a first-round pick, and goaltender Magnus Chrona away to bring in Askarov, looking to strike while his iron is hot after two standout AHL seasons. Askarov is considered one of the – if not thee – top goalie prospects across the NHL, and requested a trade out of Nashville after the Preds signed Juuse Saros to a long-term deal. It was clear he was looking to land in a vacant role – something he achieved in bunches with a move to San Jose, who have iced 11 goalies over the last three seasons alone. Askarov will look to become the first to solidify a starting role among that bunch when he’s healthy enough to make his Sharks debut.
Other notes from around the league:
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ryan Johnson has suffered a lower-body injury, AHL head coach Mike Leone shared with Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald. Leone designated Johnson as day-to-day. Johnson is fighting to regain his role in the NHL, having been assigned to the minor leagues after playing in half of Buffalo’s games last season. He only managed seven assists in those 41 appearances, adding nine assists in 27 AHL games after his assignment. It was Johnson’s first season of pro hockey, and he’ll enter year two still searching for his first pro goal.
- Both Lucas Raymond (lower-body) and Erik Gustafsson (upper-body) are expected to return to the Detroit Red Wings’ preseason lineup on Monday after missing some of the team’s practices to recover from injury, shares Ansar Khan of MLive. Both players seem headed for confident lineup roles, but have only managed one appearance in the preseason. Gustafsson recorded a primary assist in the outing, while Raymond didn’t change his statline in just 12 minutes of ice time. Wings fans will get to see their star scoring-winger, and one of their few offensive-minded defenders, return soon.
Red Wings To Sign Erik Gustafsson, Sheldon Dries
The Red Wings have inked defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a two-year contract worth $2MM per season, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. They’ve also signed minor league forward Sheldon Dries to a two-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$475K AHL with $525K guaranteed each year, per PuckPedia.
In the organization’s response to losing out on Shayne Gostisbehere, Gustafsson represents a similar style of play. For the first time since the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, Gustafsson will earn more than an $825K AAV. The puck-moving defenseman should find a home on the Red Wings’ powerplay after collecting 60 assists in his last 146 games split between the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers.
Gustafsson’s role in Detroit should be fairly flexible but he may find a home next to young Red Wings’ defenseman Moritz Seider. Seider has demonstrated a solid ability to shut down the opposing team’s top lines over the last three years and may represent a perfect option next to the offense-first defenseman. Gustafsson should also lift Detroit’s struggling possession numbers from last season as he’s averaged a 55.9% CorsiFor% over eight years in the NHL.
Dries, the Macomb, MI native returns home after spending multiple years in the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks organizations. Playing the entire 2023-24 season for AHL Abbotsford, Dries was one of the best forwards in the AHL as he scored 29 goals and 52 points in 55 games. He should be viewed as a big boost to a Grand Rapids Griffins team that is looking to contend after several years of mediocrity.
Morning Notes: Gustafsson, Hanley, Weal
New York Rangers reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano writes that Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson could return to the lineup tonight when they take on the New Jersey Devils. The 32-year-old journeyman told reporters yesterday that he was 100% after he practiced with the team wearing a regular contact jersey.
Gustafsson has been out of the lineup since taking an elbow to the head from Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart on March 23rd. He missed four games since but took his usual spot on the Rangers third pairing alongside Braden Schneider. The native of Nynashamn, Sweden has six goals and 24 assists this season in 70 games while averaging 17:15 of ice time per game.
In other morning notes:
- Ryan Pike of Flames Nation tweeted that the Calgary Flames didn’t have an update on defenseman Joel Hanley after last night’s 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Hanley started the game on the Flames top unit but played just six shifts for 3:44 in the first period and left the game without completing the period. The 32-year-old didn’t appear on the team’s bench for the second or third period and not much is known about what sort of issue kept him off of the ice. Hanley was acquired off waivers from the Dallas Stars on March 5th and has dressed in ten games for Calgary, tallying a goal and an assist.
- Former Philadelphia Flyers forward Jordan Weal has signed a two-year extension to remain in the KHL with Dynamo Moskva. Weal just completed his third KHL season, and second with Dynamo and is now locked up through the 2025-26 season. Weal hasn’t dressed in an NHL game since the 2020 playoffs when he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Weal had a breakthrough offensive season this year, finishing fourth in KHL scoring with 30 goals and 47 assists in 66 games having the most successful season by a Canadian forward in KHL history
Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Seeler, Hathaway, Danforth
The Rangers could have defenseman Jacob Trouba back in their lineup tonight against Arizona, notes Mollie Walker of the New York Post. The 30-year-old has missed the last 11 games due to a lower-body injury and it’s worth noting he still needs the final green light from the medical staff. Trouba has played in 60 games so far this season, posting 22 points along with a team-leading 170 blocked shots and 164 hits while logging over 21 minutes a night so his return will certainly be a welcome one.
Meanwhile, the Rangers will have to wait a little longer to get their other injured blueliner back as Walker adds that Erik Gustafsson did not make the trip and will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old has been a quality provider of secondary offense from the back end, notching 30 points through 70 contests.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Flyers will get a key blueliner back in the lineup tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that Nick Seeler will return to the lineup. The 30-year-old had missed more than three weeks with a lower-body injury. Seeler has played in 63 games so far this season, logging nearly 17 minutes a night while leading the team in blocked shots with 184. That helped earn him a four-year, $10.8MM contract extension earlier this month.
- Still with the Flyers, the league announced yesterday that winger Garnet Hathaway was fined $2K for embellishment. It’s the second time he has been cited for that infraction. Each citation between now and the end of the season will result in an increased fine for the 32-year-old who leads all NHL forwards in hits with 294 so far.
- Blue Jackets team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays (Twitter link) that forward Justin Danforth took to the ice before the team’s morning skate today. The 31-year-old has been dealing with an upper-body injury for the last three weeks. Danforth has been used pretty much everywhere in the lineup for Columbus this season, picking up 10 goals and 11 assists through a career-high 63 games.
Afternoon Notes: Kolosov, Milano, Gustafsson
The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to add goaltender Alexei Kolosov, following the end of his KHL season with Dinamo Minsk. The Russian club officially announced the transfer in a press release thanking Kolosov for his four years with the club (Twitter link).
Kolosov, 22, has established himself as Dimano Minsk’s clear-cut starter over the last two seasons – managing 13 wins and a .912 save percentage in 42 games last season and 22 wins and a .907 in 47 games this year. He’s played ahead of Canadian Dylan Ferguson, who is in his first KHL season after playing in two games with the Ottawa Senators last year.
The Flyers drafted Kolosov in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was the third goalie selected in that class after both Sebastian Cossa and Jesper Wallstedt were selected in the first round. Kolosov signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers in early July. He was loaned back to Russia soon after, though his contract wasn’t eligible for an entry-level slide, meaning this season has burned the first year of his three-year deal. Kolosov now joins a Flyers team with an open backup spot, stepping into a competition with Felix Sandstrom and Calvin Petersen.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Washington Capitals could add forward Sonny Milano back to the lineup on Tuesday, with head coach Spencer Carbery saying his attendance will be based on how he feels leading up to the game (Twitter link). Milano left the team’s Sunday game against Winnipeg early with an upper-body injury. He will help Washington fill-in for the suspended Tom Wilson, if he’s healthy enough to play.
- The New York Rangers designated defenseman Erik Gustafsson as day-to-day with an upper-body injury ahead of their Monday morning practice, which Gustafsson missed (Twitter link). Gustafsson seemed to suffer the injury in the team’s Saturday game against the Florida Panthers, taking a high hit from Sam Reinhart. He is questionable for the team’s Tuesday night game against Philadelphia, which could open the door for Brandon Scanlin to make his NHL debut.
Metropolitan Notes: Merzlikins, Gustafsson, Lindgren
Some players on non-playoff teams still have the chance to play meaningful games over the next couple of months by representing their national teams at the 2024 Men’s World Championship in Czechia. One will be Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzļikins, who confirmed to Latvian reporter Ulvis Brože that he’ll represent his country at the tournament. The Riga-born netminder will make his sixth appearance at the tournament, although only his second since joining Columbus in 2019. He’s done quite well at the tournament, posting a .917 SV%, 2.51 GAA, and three shutouts in 27 appearances despite playing behind one of the historically weaker rosters at the tournament. A leg injury stopped him from joining Latvia at last year’s event, which paved the way for Canucks prospect Arturs Silovs to put together a .921 SV%, 2.20 GAA, and 7-3-0 record in 10 games as the squad upset their way to a bronze medal.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Heading to the Big Apple, the Rangers were without defenseman Erik Gustafsson at Monday’s practice due to an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old Swede is listed as day-to-day but has not been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Flyers. He’s provided great value for the Blueshirts on a one-year, $825K deal, crossing the 30-point plateau in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. The offensive-minded blue-liner has also posted solid possession metrics, boasting a 54.0 CF% at even strength along with a +7.2 expected rating. While averaging 17:15 on the season, he’s been promoted to a top-four role in recent days, with Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba both absent due to lower-body injuries.
- Speaking of Lindgren, the top-pairing fixture is inching toward a return as he took to the ice in a non-contact jersey at today’s practice for the first time since sustaining his injury against the Islanders on March 17, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports. He sustained an apparent severe knee injury after falling awkwardly into the boards during a collision with Isles center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but a return to the ice just over a week later suggests he’s avoided the worst. The Minnesota native has battled through multiple injuries this season, though, influencing some unusually poor possession numbers despite being stapled to number-one defenseman Adam Fox when in the lineup. Averaging 19:13 per game, he’s posted a 47.1 CF% at even strength and a -3.5 expected rating, both serving as the worst numbers since his rookie season. Still, it’s promising he’ll likely have a chance to return to the lineup and regain comfort with his game before the postseason begins.