Evening Notes: Berggren, Sabres, Predators
St. Louis’ Jonatan Berggren has been off to a hot start after being claimed off waivers from Detroit, and Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic published an article looking into the surge, and how sustainable it can be. The new Blue jumped right up to the team’s first line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, posting four points in three games so far.
The Blues, with a forward core ravaged by injuries of late, would likely have been keen to add any NHL capable player from waivers. One such as Berggren was especially hard to pass up. After several years of lighting up the AHL but not quite putting it all together at the highest level, the 25-year-old became the latest former top prospect to hit the wire.
While many such players catch headlines, have some success early on, and eventually regress back to the mean, Berggren has caught high praise from Head Coach Jim Montgomery, and has a chance to have real success in a more low pressure environment for the time being. Interestingly in Rutherford’s article, an anonymous scout said his team also had interest in submitting a claim, as a player with valuable tools, who also had moments of being invisible.
Given the results so far, Berggren has likely found a home in St. Louis to finish the season at his $1.825MM cap hit. With pending restricted free agent status, he could become useful piece in their future as well if able to evolve his game a bit and strengthen ability in his own end.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Another figure could be joining the Sabres’ revamped front office, as Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports shared that Blue Jackets scouting director Ville Siren has generated a lot of “chatter” about rejoining new Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Siren was mentioned as a possible target of Kekäläinen just last week. The Finland native has been with Columbus since 2013, as well as nine seasons in St. Louis beforehand, where he played a large role in the team’s selection of longtime star Vladimir Tarasenko, among others. In Columbus, Siren has continuously stocked the small market team with young talent, most recently helping assemble a promising young core in the post-John Tortorella era. Nothing is set, as he remains firmly with Columbus, but Siren would be another notable addition to Kekäläinen’s brass as they look to turn things around in Buffalo.
- Pierre LeBrun published an article with The Athletic in which he discussed the Predators’ turnaround, staying calm despite rumors surrounding Head Coach Andrew Brunette as the season started to get off the rails. Winners of seven out of their last 10, Nashville is starting to find their game, and while fans may prefer the team go into a full rebuild route, veterans such as Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos are naturally intent on winning. As a former coach himself, Trotz has continuously stressed the importance of culture to develop young players. Even if veterans such as Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault could still be shipped out in 2026, it is hard to imagine Trotz will want his group to totally bottom out, especially as long as Juuse Saros stands in net. Nashville will have a big opportunity tomorrow against Minnesota to prove they have turned the page and maybe push for a Wild Card berth.
Blues Claim Jonatan Berggren Off Waivers
The Blues have claimed winger Jonatan Berggren off waivers from the Red Wings, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The team moved center Nick Bjugstad to injured reserve to open up a roster spot for him, per Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
When Detroit waived Berggren yesterday, the motivations weren’t clear. They might have been attempting to open a roster spot for Mason Appleton to come off injured reserve, or the Wings simply may have been looking to give the fourth-year Swede a fresh start elsewhere. If they were hoping to sneak him through to the AHL, though, they’ll be disappointed with today’s outcome.
Once a standout who led Sweden’s top junior league in scoring in his draft year, Berggren cracked the Wings’ lineup for the first time in 2022-23. He’s been a fairly efficient depth scorer ever since, averaging a 15-16–31 scoring line per 82 games despite averaging under 13 minutes of ice time, but had seen his role slashed in Detroit this year. He’s been a healthy scratch more times (18) than he’s played (15) and has only suited up once since Thanksgiving.
There’s long been optimism about what Berggren’s production could look like if given an expanded role. He hasn’t seen minor-league action in two years but was one of the AHL’s top scoring presences from 2021-24, recording 49 goals and 127 points in 130 games for Detroit’s affiliate in Grand Rapids.
The 25-year-old may now get that chance on a decimated Blues team that’s missing three of its top four wingers in Dylan Holloway, Jordan Kyrou, and Jimmy Snuggerud. Their injury crunch has recently forced veteran Robby Fabbri into a top-six role after signing a two-way deal just days ago, plus emergency AHL call-ups Hugh McGing and Matt Luff sliding into the bottom six.
Now, their low place in the standings pays some dividends in the form of the third-highest waiver priority in the league. In addition to adding some short-term depth, Berggren could continually slot into a top-nine role for St. Louis down the stretch if they sell off rumored trade chips Brayden Schenn, Mathieu Joseph, and Oskar Sundqvist.
In claiming Berggren, the Blues are on the hook for his $1.825MM cap hit for the remainder of the season. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.
Bjugstad has already missed three games with an upper-body injury, which he sustained seven days ago on Dec. 9 against the Bruins. As such, he’s eligible to come off IR at any time. The 33-year-old pivot has four goals and an assist in 25 games this season.
Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
Red Wings Place Jonatan Berggren On Waivers
The Red Wings placed winger Jonatan Berggren on waivers Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Whether he’ll be assigned to AHL Grand Rapids if he clears or if they’re purely exposing him to the rest of the league for a change of scenery remains to be seen.
Berggren has been a frequent healthy scratch this season after he made a career-high 75 appearances last season. The 25-year-old has only played 15 of Detroit’s 33 games and has been in the lineup just once since Nov. 24.
Defensive deficiencies and a lack of physicality have long kept the 5’11” Berggren from advancing higher in the Wings’ lineup. However, he’s always made the most of his limited minutes offensively. Since entering the league with Detroit in 2022-23, he’s averaged 15 goals and 31 points per 82 games despite seeing under 13 minutes of deployment per night.
He’s kept up that reputation in 2025-26 despite increased role instability. His six points in those 15 outings are good for 0.40 points per game, eighth on the team. With middle-six names like Marco Kasper (four points in 33 games) and J.T. Compher (11 points in 33 games) having such bearish seasons offensively, it’s a tad surprising Berggren hasn’t gotten more of an extended look to help jumpstart the Wings’ depth.
Now, the 2018 second-rounder lands on waivers for the first time in his career and could have a new home as soon as tomorrow. If he’s not claimed, the fact that he’s already cleared waivers could boost his trade value since there wouldn’t be a concern about surrendering assets for him only to lose him on the wire if he doesn’t work out.
Berggren is making $1.825MM this season as part of a one-year extension he signed shortly before free agency opened. He’ll be arbitration-eligible at the end of the season.
Red Wings’ Jonatan Berggren Set For Watershed Season
There aren’t many holdovers from the Ken Holland era for the Detroit Red Wings. Even though the long-time General Manager is only six years removed from leading Detroit’s front office, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, and Jonatan Berggren are the only three who have survived the transition to Steve Yzerman. Given that the former two already have concrete spots on the Red Wings’ roster moving forward, Berggren is gearing up for what could be a make-or-break season in HockeyTown.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Berggren was considered one of Detroit’s better prospects. The Red Wings selected the Uppsala, Sweden native with the 33rd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft out of the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK program. It took a few years for Berggren to make the jump to professional hockey in his home country, but he capped it off with an impressive 12-goal, 45-point effort in 48 games for them in the 2020-21 SHL season.
Having a dire need for offense, the Red Wings brought Berggren overseas for the 2021-22 campaign, starting with their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He rewarded Detroit for their confidence in his abilities, scoring 21 goals and 64 points in 70 games during his rookie season, finishing second in rookie scoring behind JJ Peterka, then of the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
Finishing as one of the worst offensive teams for the 2021-22 campaign, the Red Wings recalled Berggren for his NHL debut during the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, despite a higher-than-normal shooting percentage and quality CorsiFor% at even strength, Berggren finished his rookie season with 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games with a -14 rating, averaging 13:28 of ice time per game.
Adding several forwards during the following offseason, Berggren quickly lost his spot on Detroit’s roster. He failed to make the team out of training camp and became the subject of trade rumors with the Red Wings looking to take a step toward contention. For some reason or another, no trade materialized, and Berggren finished the campaign with 24 goals and 56 points in 55 games at the AHL level, with another two goals and six points in 12 NHL contests.
The trade speculation regarding Berggren continued into the offseason before finally signing a one-year, $825K contract with the Red Wings a week before training camp. Unlike the previous campaign, he made the team out of camp and finished the 2024-25 season with 12 goals and 24 points in 75 games, averaging 12:59 of ice time per night. Although he had been known for his offense throughout his days as a prospect, Berggren was a defensive bright spot for Detroit last season, finishing with a 91.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength, one of the highest marks on the team considering his ATOI.
Still, with the Red Wings again looking to take a step toward contention, and Berggren becoming arbitration-eligible next offseason, his future in Detroit may rely on the quality of his 2025-26 campaign. Berggren acknowledged as much in a recent interview with team correspondent, Jonathan Mills, saying, “Last year was a good year for me. I feel like I got more opportunity after Todd [McLellan] became head coach, and I think I played better. This one-year deal is a prove-it-deal for me. I want to show what I can do.”
Putting more pressure on Berggren this season, Detroit has numerous forward prospects looking to make the full-time jump to the NHL level. Nate Danielson, Amadeus Lombardi, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Carter Mazur, to name a few, are pushing hard to get to the next level, and Berggren could be one of the first casualties.
There’s always a need for defensive-minded forwards at the NHL level. Still, there is a not-so-subtle expectation that Berggren will become more of an efficient point producer with the Red Wings. If he’s unable to do that this upcoming season, there’s a decent chance he’ll be removed from any of Detroit’s future planning.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Jonatan Berggren To One-Year Contract
The Detroit Red Wings are making quick work of getting some of their depth players back for next season. According to a team announcement, the Red Wings have signed forward Jonatan Berggren to a one-year, $1.825MM contract for the 2025-26 NHL season.
Berggren has been an interesting depth scorer for the Red Wings over the last three years. By all available evidence, Detroit is still trying to determine what exactly they have in the young Swede.
He got off to a hot start in his professional career, scoring 21 goals and 64 points in 70 games for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in 2021-22. In the early stages of their rebuild, Berggren was recalled to help the fledgling Red Wings in 2022-23. Typically in a third-line role, Berggren had a quality year as a tertiary scorer, putting up 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games. He had some prominent defensive shortcomings, but that’s to be expected of a young winger.
Interestingly enough, Berggren didn’t earn a spot on the roster out of training camp the following September. He put together another quality year with AHL Grand Rapids, scoring 24 goals and 56 points in 53 games. Despite his success in the AHL, Detroit used Berggren only 12 times during the 2023-24 season, and rumors about trade availability began to circulate.
The rumors persisted until last September, when the Red Wings signed Berggren to a one-year contract worth $825K. Nearly replicating his performance from two years ago, Berggren scored 12 goals and 24 points in 75 games, averaging 12:59 of ice time per game. Despite his -13 rating, the Uppsala, Sweden native showed serious improvements in his defense, achieving a 91.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength.
Given the short-term, low-risk contract, Detroit likely wants Berggren to remain in a similar role next year. If he can replicate his defensive output and score 30 or more points next season, he’ll be a valuable bottom-six scorer for the Red Wings.
East Notes: Berggren, Stolarz, Carlile, Santini
Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren earned the first fine of his NHL career, the league’s Department of Player Safety announced this morning. He was fined $2,148, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for a cross-check against Maple Leafs forward Connor Dewar in last night’s 4-2 win.
Berggren landed a two-minute minor on the play, which occurred immediately after a stoppage in the second period. While engaging with Dewar in front of the Red Wings net after the whistle blew, he landed a cross-check that hit Dewar in the head/neck area.
It’s a minor blip in a tough year for Berggren, who’s still struggling to recapture his rookie-season form. He’s back on the NHL roster full-time after spending most of last season in the minors, but he’s scored just four goals and six points with a -6 rating through 30 contests. He’s averaging 12:27 per game with fringe power-play usage, averaging around a minute per game with the man-advantage unit.
A 2018 second-round pick, Berggren signed a one-year, $825K deal in September after sitting as an RFA for most of the summer. He scored 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games with the Wings in his first NHL look in the 2022-23 campaign.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Maple Leafs moved Anthony Stolarz to injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sabres, ending a cascade of roster moves over the past few days (per David Alter of The Hockey News). The Vezina Trophy candidate had already missed one game with a lower-body injury he sustained against the Ducks on Dec. 12. He’ll miss at least one more game following the Buffalo tilt but could be eligible to return for a rematch against the Sabres on Dec. 20. The 30-year-old has a sparkling .927 SV% and 2.15 GAA in 17 games this year with a 9-5-2 record. The Leafs’ active roster remains at a full 23 players.
- The Lightning announced they’ve returned defensemen Declan Carlile and Steven Santini to AHL Syracuse. One or both could be back on the active roster ahead of their next game on Tuesday, depending on the health of captain Victor Hedman, who’s missed the Bolts’ last two games with a lower-body injury. Carlile, 24, scored his first NHL goal in last night’s win over the Kraken, his season debut after getting into his first NHL game last season. The 29-year-old Santini played 11:37 in Thursday’s win over the Flames, his first NHL game in nearly two years, but was a healthy scratch against Seattle.
Red Wings Sign Jonatan Berggren
The Red Wings have signed restricted free agent winger Jonatan Berggren to a one-year deal worth $825K, per a team announcement.
It’s a fair pact for a player looking to return to a regular NHL role in 2024-25. After recording 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games during his rookie campaign in 2022-23, the 24-year-old Berggren spent most of last season with the Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He was limited to 12 NHL appearances in various call-ups throughout the year, still managing a pair of goals and six points while averaging 10:52 per game.
Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman hoped to save Berggren’s deal until after they came to terms with a pair of household-name RFAs in Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, but it wasn’t to be. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported earlier this month that having Berggren signed by the time training camp begins was a must for the Wings, giving him a full-length runway to reclaim a roster spot over the coming weeks.
Raymond and Seider remain without deals and will officially be training camp holdouts if they don’t sign by Wednesday morning. After signing Berggren, the Red Wings have $16.82MM in cap space to accommodate the RFA duo, per PuckPedia.
Despite the demotion, Berggren was electric in Grand Rapids. The 2018 second-rounder led the Griffins in scoring with 56 points (24 G, 32 A) in 53 games and added 10 points in nine playoff contests.
Even upon Raymond’s return, Berggren has a decent shot at claiming a top-nine role in Detroit this season with Robby Fabbri, David Perron, and Daniel Sprong out of the picture. If he holds out into the regular season, Berggren could even serve as a top-six placeholder for his countryman.
Berggren is no longer waiver-exempt, so the Red Wings would likely lose him to another club if they attempt to send him back to Grand Rapids again. He’ll have arbitration rights if he reaches restricted free agency next summer.
RFA Notes: Raymond, Berggren, Pelletier, Perfetti
The Detroit Red Wings are making progress on a long-term contract with star forward Lucas Raymond, shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Raymond is one of three restricted free agents still awaiting a deal from the Red Wings, alongside winger Jonatan Berggren and defender Moritz Seider.
Pagnotta added that talks between Raymond and Detroit have picked up over the last 10 days, but that the two sides are, “still grinding away at it.” The Red Wings kick off training camp on September 18th.
While Seider was Detroit’s unrivaled top defender last season, it’s Raymond who feels like the chore that needs done. The 22-year-old winger broke out this season, leading the Red Wings in scoring with a career-high 31 goals and 72 points in 82 games, topping his previous high of 23 goals and 57 points set as a rookie. He’s now up to 174 points in 238 career games, and stands as perhaps the most promising player on a Wings lineup in flux. His next contract will likely eat up the bulk of Detroit’s remaining $17.648MM in cap space, though the Wings will need to walk a fine line to not price themselves out of a similarly-hefty deal for Seider.
Other notes from around the league:
- Pagnotta also mentioned that Detroit and Berggren are expected to agree to a contract before the start of training camp, though the deal will hinge on the final price given to Raymond and/or Seider. Berggren led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring with 56 points in 53 games last season. It was Berggren’s first year back in the minors, after playing through his NHL rookie season in 2022-23 – ending with 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games. Detroit will have plenty of room to award hard-workers at training camp with NHL ice time to start the season – a group Berggren will hope to lead after signing a new deal.
- Detroit’s forward momentum with their RFAs hasn’t trickled up to Canada, with the Calgary Flames still far off from a deal with RFA forward Jakob Pelletier, per TSN’s Salim Nadim Valji. Valji adds that things could change quickly but are, for now, quiet. Pelletier has become a fan-favorite prospect, solidified by his routinely strong performances in the minor leagues. The 23-year-old has 111 points through 119 AHL games, but has struggled to translate that production to the top flight, with just 10 points in 37 career NHL games. Like Detroit, Calgary stands a chance to award young players with strong lineup roles. Pelletier seems a favorite to handle one of those spots, though he’ll first need to bridge the gap in quiet negotiations.
- Winnipeg is going through sluggish talks of their own with RFA winger Cole Perfetti, who has yet to hear back on a firm offer reports Pagnotta. Perfetti potted 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games last year – but looked capable of much more with a stronger role in the lineup. He’s 22, and carries an admirable 75 points and 140 games of NHL experience. Those numbers fall closely in line with Senators centerman Shane Pinto, who recently signed a two-year, $7MM extension after missing the bulk of the 2023-24 campaign. That deal stands as Perfetti’s strongest comparable, though it may be hard to bear for a Winnipeg team with just $5.776MM in remaining cap space.
East Notes: Raymond, Berggren, Voronkov, Capitals
The Red Wings still have three restricted free agents to re-sign, defenseman Moritz Seider along with wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren. In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relayed that while there’s no concern on either side yet, talks don’t appear to be progressing between Detroit and Raymond’s camp. The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal and had a breakout showing last season, recording 31 points and 41 assists in 82 games, leading some to suggest that a long-term agreement between the two sides is likely to push past the $7MM mark per season.
Berggren, meanwhile, was largely a regular for the Red Wings in 2022-23 but spent most of last season with AHL Grand Rapids, tallying 24 goals and 32 assists in 53 games. The 24-year-old also collected six points in 13 games with Detroit. Pagnotta reports that a deal between the two sides is expected before training camp and it’s likely to be a short-term agreement. With a little over $17MM in cap space per PuckPedia, it’s possible that the eventual contracts with Seider and Raymond could dictate how short of a deal Berggren ultimately receives.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Dating back to last season, there was speculation that Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov might want to return to the KHL. In an interview with Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev, Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin acknowledged that he spoke with Voronkov after last season, presumably to gauge his interest in returning to the KHL but no discussions have taken place since then. The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season last year, notching 18 goals and 16 assists in 75 games and is someone that Columbus will undoubtedly be looking to keep beyond the upcoming season when his current contract expires.
- While the Capitals have already inked a PTO agreement with Jakub Vrana, don’t expect them to be signing any others. GM Chris Patrick recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that he doesn’t envision bringing in any more players on tryouts for training camp. Washington has shaken up their roster a fair bit this summer, bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, and Logan Thompson (and others) so allowing the newcomers to get some early chemistry may be the focal point at camp. If that’s the case, bringing in other players with an outside shot of making the team would run counter to that objective.
Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Murray, Berggren
The Maple Leafs shook things up behind the bench with a coaching change, bringing in Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe earlier this summer. Now, it appears they’ll be changing their captain as well. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the team will announce that Auston Matthews will be named captain at a press conference on Wednesday morning. Current captain John Tavares is believed to be fully supportive of the change. Matthews is entering the first season of a four-year, $53MM contract he signed last season, one that makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history in terms of AAV while Tavares is entering the final year of his agreement. Matthews has spent his entire eight-year NHL career with Toronto and is coming off a career year that saw him record 69 goals and 107 points.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Still with Toronto, goaltender Matt Murray indicated in a recent appearance on the Slangin’ the Bizkit Podcast (video link) that his hips feel much better than they have in a long time. The veteran missed almost all of last season due to bilateral hip surgery, only getting into three rehab contests late in the regular season with the Marlies. The Maple Leafs gave him a one-year, $875K one-way deal early in free agency and it appears as if he’ll enter the upcoming season in the third-string role similar to the one Martin Jones held in 2023-24.
- In an interview with Matthias Ek of Sweden’s Hockey News, Red Wings RFA winger Jonatan Berggren indicated that discussions on a new deal are ongoing and that he has not spoken with any other clubs about a possible offer sheet. The 24-year-old spent most of 2022-23 with Detroit, notching 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games but they opted to put him with AHL Grand Rapids for most of last year. Berggren was quite productive for the Griffins, tallying 56 points in 53 games while also adding six points in a dozen contests with Detroit. That shouldn’t be the case this coming season, however, as he’s now waiver-eligible.