Detroit Red Wings continue to utilize waivers; sending Adam Erne to AHL

The Detroit Red Wings have had their fair share of roster crunches during the 2022-23 season. Between injuries and too many veterans in Grand Rapids, there has been a multitude of changes. Nothing really of the bad variety; the Jakub Vrána saga is something of its own, but most of it has just been the way the season has unfolded.

For the Detroit Red Wings, they have been messing around with a loaded gun this season. They have placed players on waivers who might be attractive to other teams and could get scooped up. However, things have worked out well to this point and successfully kept the Red Wings players slipping through waivers.

Red Wings General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman has been playing a bit of waiver wire roulette. He has successfully seen Alex Nedeljkovic and Vrána pass through. Once again, the Red Wings are sending another NHL regular through waivers.

Adam Erne is the latest player to have been sent through. He passed through and was assigned to the AHL level with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Not that Erne is a top-tier player or better than Nedeljkovic or Vrána, but he was another player who has consistently been with the Red Wings on the NHL roster, being sent down. He could have quickly been scooped up by another organization looking to add some depth.

Detroit Red Wings continue with waiver roulette; Adam Erne as the latest wager.

The Red Wings needed to clear roster space again, this time opting to keep Jonatan Berggren on the NHL roster after he settled in quite nicely. Berggren has taken great strides in his first campaign with the Red Wings, so it’s easy to see why he was being kept on the roster.

Through 35 games, Berggren has eight goals and ten assists for 18 total points. This compares to Erne, who has been a role-player in the team’s bottom-six group. Erne has played in 43 games, with six goals and eight assists for 14 total points.

The chance to keep Berggren on the roster over Erne helps Berggren a ton. Even though it meant sending another established pro player through waivers, it was the right decision. Playing roulette with the waiver wire has worked out quite well so far, with the Red Wings being able to get players through.

As the 2022-23 season continues, the Red Wings could very likely continue playing roulette on the waiver wire. As the trade deadline inches closer, any possible moves could have corresponding moves within the organization.