Mason Appleton doesn't bring the 'wow' factor anywhere, but he'll give the Detroit Red Wings a much-needed boost as part of the penalty-kill unit. Over his last two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, Appleton snagged over 180 minutes on the PK. And for a historically bad unit in Hockeytown that ended with just a 70.1 PK percentage in 2024-25, someone like Appleton's bringing much-needed relief.
Appleton won't erase the Wings PK woes single handedly, but Steve Yzerman had to start somewhere. So, a veteran who's willing to step into a defensive forward role regardless of the situation's a good place to fix the mess that was.
Speaking of defense, 70.5 percent of Appleton's starts came in the defensive zone last season at even strength. And, playing for one of the best defensive teams in the game last year, his presence will help keep the Wings from allowing so many odd-man rushes and chances they were notorious for letting slip by them.
He's not the kind of player whose on-paper production will entice you to look twice. But you know what? It doesn't need to be. Appleton's the one who'll give you underrated metrics that some fans might not think to look at.
A defensive forward capable of playing multiple roles with the Detroit Red Wings
The kicker with Appleton is that he can, if needed, take up a spot in the top six. Ideally, this wouldn't be the case, since the Wings would love to see consistent scoring with their top six forwards, but injuries strike every year, and Appleton's a proven stopgap if needed for a few games.
For two of his last three seasons in Winnipeg, Appleton averaged over 16 minutes of ice time. And, regardless of how much ice time he gets in Detroit, whether it's 16 minutes per (which I doubt) or something closer to 13-14 minutes, if Appleton's play can resemble what he did in 2023-24, the Wings will have a forward capable of producing in the lower lines.
He scored 14 goals and amassed 36 points that year, ending with an 11.5 shooting percentage, 16:03 of average total ice time, and 107 hits. That's the kind of production we need to see in Hockeytown, and if Appleton produces like that while maintaining a solid defensive game, then the Wings will have one less position in the lineup to worry about.
Heading into the season, I'm expecting solid play from Appleton, but nothing spectacular. But if he's giving us a 35-plus-point season and helping put an end to the Wings penalty-kill woes, he's exceeding expectations.