Detroit Red Wings roster shake up, changes incoming

The day started with an expected roster change for the Detroit Red Wings. Sheldon Dries, a veteran hockey player, was reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Dries hadn’t seen any action with the Red Wings but was on standby in case of another injury. With all the head shots and free high sticks teams get away with versus Detroit, the likelihood is extraordinarily high to have to fill another roster spot, so Dries was a trooper. 

Meanwhile, general manager Steve Yzerman wasn’t finished with his roster changes. 

Before late afternoon, a couple more announcements broke.

Detroit Red Wings make roster changes with a key prospect and a veteran forward

Let’s start with the doom and gloom. 

Christian Fischer isn’t doom and gloom, but some less-than-desireable changes have been made with Fischer and the Detroit Red Wings. 

Per NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, Fischer was placed on waivers. 

A fan favorite who is a heart and soul-type of player, Fischer has given his all for the Detroit Red Wings. However, things haven’t worked out for Fischer since Todd McLellan took over the Red Wings back in late December. 

Opting for a younger, skilled group of specific players rather than the rotation that seemed to have taken place under the previous regime, Fischer (and Tyler Motte to some extent) have been considered the 13th and 14th forwards on the roster. 

Waiving Fischer allows all the other teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) a chance to pick up Fischer and have him on their roster. If Fischer clears waivers, then he could be assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (who are in desperate need of any help on their fastly sinking ship).

Of course, with every closed door comes a new opportunity. 

In a surprising twist of fate, Carter Mazur was recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins. Per Gregg O’Connor on the Twitterverse:

This tidbit has been confirmed by Max Bultman of The Athletic. 

Mazur was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Level draft (number 70th overall). He joins fellow 2021 draft pick Simon Edvinsson in the Winged Wheel as he possibly gets set to play tomorrow night against the Utah Hockey Club (which has former Red Wings player Olli Määttä, who recently inked a three-year extension with the Hockey Club). 

Mazur is a feisty, hard-nosed player who has pops of skill. He can playmake and score goals. 

There are countless comparisons to Tyler Bertuzzi, but someone that Mazur has always reminded me of is Vladislav Namestnikov. A little different in terms of skillset and physicality that Bertuzzi offers, but fun nonetheless. 

Mazur should help the Detroit Red Wings ' five-on-five play, but he can also play on both special teams. 

It should be interesting to see how Mazur is utilized and how long he stays. This recall may also mean Michael Rasmussen is out longer than predicted, or another forward might be a question mark for the game. Or maybe the team just realizes it needs a shake-up to end this four-game losing skid. 

Mazur likely would have seen NHL ice sooner but was injured for part of the season. Since his return to the Grand Rapids Griffins lineup, Mazur hasn't missed a beat.

Per Elite Prospects, in 20 games this season with the Griffins, Mazur has scored eight times and assisted on seven goals for a combined 15 points. With only eight penalty minutes, Mazur has become more disciplined in his role. For those individuals wondering, Mazur is a -4 rating.

Just for more context, in nine playoff games, Mazur scored three times and had five assists for a total of eight points. He earned 18 penalty minutes (it was a rough go-round for more Grand Rapids players in terms of penalty minutes) and a +6 rating.

At any rate, Mazur will be a fast fan favorite (if he’s not yours already, you might need to get in line).