Detroit Red Wings: Alex Chiasson deserves a cheap extension

The Detroit Red Wings are at that point in the off-season where they have to start debating what they will do about some of their roster spots in the off-season, ahead of free agency with the holdovers.

The free agency period could be interesting for the Detroit Red Wings, especially seeing what they do to fill out some depth roles. While there may not be some major move incoming, it will still be interesting to see what direction they go to fill out some of their bottom six.

Perhaps, staying in-house and re-signing Alex Chiasson is on the radar. It’s a move that certainly needs to be thought about. Co-Expert Bob Heyrman hit on this take during the 2022-23 season, suggesting that the team goes and grabs him on a cheap sub-$1 million contract.

When it comes to the Red Wings’ bottom-six group of forward, someone on a cheap deal will be a solid move, especially saving money to allocate elsewhere. So why not give Chiasson the chance to stick once again, especially with the absurd power-play prowess he showed in his menial sample?

Detroit Red Wings should re-sign Alex Chiasson.

While he was a late addition, he did find his way into 20 games with the Red Wings during the 2022-23 season. Chiasson had six goals and three assists for nine total points. The funny thing was that seven of his points came while the Red Wings were at a man advantage.

He was able to find ways to get the job done when the team was on the power play and help them convert. This is pretty impressive, given that the Red Wings’ special teams were horrendous. But, for some odd reason, they were able to luck into something with Chiasson.

After spending 29 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the minors, Chiasson earned his call-up and pro contact. He put up nine goals and tallied 11 assists for 20 total points for the Griffins at the AHL level before he got the good news.

Chiasson coming back on a cheap deal makes sense. The thought would be you could get him at a bargain rate on a “prove-it” type deal. If it works out, the Red Wings benefit and get a cheap addition in the bottom six.

If not, the team cuts ties with him and brings up someone from the minors to fill the role instead. It obviously depends on what the team does the rest of the off-season, but the Red Wings should try to grab Chiasson on a cheap deal.

After all, it’s a low-stakes, high-reward situation where they could get something solid from him, speaking within reason. It’s not to say he will come out and pot 20 goals, but tapping into some offense and adding to the special teams’ efforts as a bottom-six player would be great.