3 players the Detroit Red Wings should re-sign this summer

The Detroit Red Wings should re-sign Alex Chiasson.

At the start of the season, if you ask the average fan to assess Alex Chiasson, most would probably struggle to give you much of anything. After the trade deadline, when Steve Yzerman shipped off Tyler Bertuzzi, Oskar Sundqvist, and Jakub Vrana, as well as injuries to Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen, he was forced to bring in bodies to fill in a lineup for the rest of the season.

At the time, Chiasson seemed to be just that, a body to play a position for the remainder of the year. To everyone’s surprise, he has contributed seven points in 11 games since joining the team. Creating a label as somewhat of a journeyman throughout his career may scare some fans away from wanting to re-sign him for next season.

Understandably so, his recent success could be a flash-in-the-pan hot streak, but if he does not demand a large dollar figure and he keeps up his successful play until the end of the season, it warrants consideration to extend him.

Detroit has longed for a true game-changing net front presence since the days of Tomas Holmstrom, and although Chiasson clearly isn’t to that level, he quite possibly may be the best at playing that position that they have had on the roster in nearly six years or more. Bertuzzi never truly flourished at it; Rasmussen tried at times but never became what the team had hoped for. Elmer Soderblom seems to be still learning how to use his size effectively.

Sundquist had a few moments of success but did not necessarily become reliable in the role. Yes, Chaisson is below average in most aspects. He is not a great player in 5-on-5 situations, and his skating is well below average. But if the cost is right, having a power play specialist taking a spot on the roster for a low price may not be a terrible thing for a team that has been starving for someone to be a net-front nightmare.