Detroit Red Wings Jonatan Berggren’s adventure is out there, but with what team?

There has been speculation about a few restricted free agents (RFAs) for the Detroit Red Wings. 

Call it the Yzerplan, Yzerscam, or somewhere in between, people seem to be at least intrigued that the RFAs have taken this long to get signed.

If I had more time, I might have more concern over Detroit Red Wings general manager, Steve Yzerman, and his lack of contracts given out to his RFAs. To me, I leave these situations up to the experts.

Another concern I might have is if any of the players hinted at wanting out of the Detroit Red Wings organization. We haven’t heard anything from RFAs Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider that indicates they want to leave.

Quite the contrary, I haven't heard anything but glowing reviews about their team and the upcoming goals for next season. For this reason, among others, I know that deals will get signed. 

My concerns for RFAs re-signing always surrounded Jonatan Berggren. 

For a while, being a Detroit Red Wings fan felt more like a chore than something fun to do.

Prospects helped alleviate those tough moments, Berggren played a big role in those better moments. I’ve had concerns about Berggren dating back to the change over from the Ken Holland to Yzerman era. Rather than flaming out, these concerns grew as big as Surtur in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor: Ragnarok. 

Jonatan Berggren finally spoke out about where he expects to play next season

In an informative Twitter thread by @IceHockeyGifs, we get a snapshot of Berggren’s offseason, reflection on the previous season, and his expectation of where he will play next season:

These comments reflect the Berggren I’ve grown to appreciate over the years. 

However, earlier this year, Berggren came under fire not only by outsiders, but by many Detroit Red Wings fans as well. Here’s one of the bigger points in the online world:

Although this source might not be the most reputable, it didn’t stop from rumors swirling amongst fans. People seemed content, even excited, to trade Berggren.

I understand not wanting players in the Detroit Red Wings organization who don’t want to be here. 

We have seen countless veterans arrive as a shell of themselves, only to get a quick buck for a slow exit out of the NHL. It’s quite sad to watch and it helps nobody, except their bank accounts and allowing us to hit the cap floor.

This didn’t seem to be the case with Berggren. 

If he wanted out, he would have shown it. There were moments of frustration, totally valid in my opinion. As he says, he was living out of a suitcase. He couldn’t get settled in any location, let alone with a system or set of linemates before he was going to a different level of ice hockey.

At one level, he had his bum kicked, literally, as he danced and dazzled across the ice. When in the higher level, he made mistakes–possibly more than he owns up to–and figuratively had his bum kicked on and off the ice, or so it seemed. It was a difficult balance that I think Berggren performed well in with all things considered. Things could have gone better, especially in the NHL, but that’s life. 

No point during his play did he ever show signs of lack of effort or care. He continued to wear Detroit Red Wings branded gear. While it might have been convenient or the only things he had to wear, I still think it shows his commitment to the organization as a whole.

He continued to invest in himself, his teammates, and the systems he was asked to play in.

To me, it’s interesting as well, that fans think there would be much value in a trade. I’m not sure that Berggren has any more value to another team as he does with the Detroit Red Wings.

It’s not a slight against Berggren, it’s just difficult to gauge the NHL version of his game and in the NHL players are paid for the known body of work. No matter how great someone looks in the AHL, it’s not something that adds much value in a trade unless it’s a rookie campaign (or possibly a second year. On the other hand, Berggren was in his third season with the Grand Rapids Griffins (and is six years removed from his draft year–man do I feel old as it seems like yesterday the 2018 NHL Entry Level Draft happened). 

If the Detroit Red Wings or Berggren wanted a trade, they would have had to showcase him at the NHL level. This season, it never happened. 

Maybe they tried when he joined the top line for a short stint, but I think that opportunity was more so due to injuries on the team and needing a spark. I don’t think it was intended to be a showcase for a possible trade.

It was a very weird situation last season. I feel like Yzerman came into the season with a great plan, but I think things didn’t go according to it all season. Possibly over signing from a fear of injuries and lack of depth, the prospect pipeline was stifled. I think it was a miss for the organization as a whole.

However, having a reliable, positive voice in head coach Dan Watson (along with the rest of the coaching staff), and a group of teammates seemed to help everyone involved.

This past season was the way I thought the 2022-23 when the Grand Rapids Griffins had Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and Pontus Andreasson join the team. If ya’ll thought the 2019-20 season for the Detroit Red Wings was bad, you should have seen the wheels that fell off of that Grand Rapids Griffins team’s bus. Some of the worst ice hockey I’ve seen.

The players were not the problem. They tried, did all they could, but could only do so much when they either don’t know or have a system in place. Then, it seemed like things happened off of the ice that carried a bit into the 2023-24 season. 

Things started great with opening weekend, then fizzled out quickly on their trip to the Colorado Eagles. Luckily, the coaching staff and players were able to move through their troubles and get things figured out.

While there was still tension at times, things played out better than I feared (worse than I had hoped). That’s life in a nutshell sometimes. I always think back to this quote:

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”

Berggren had arguably the most of said experience last season (though I could see an argument for any number of Grand Rapids Griffins players).

After reading through Berggren’s comments, it’s clear he faced challenges and grew tougher from those events. Also, he is at peace with whatever happens, but his expectations are playing for the Detroit Red Wings next season. 

Another thing that I love that Berggren touches on is Patrick Kane returning to the Detroit Red Wings. 

I feel like if Kane had signed anywhere else, I think it would have made more news. 

It wasn’t really talked about, and I’m not quite sure why. Everyone seemed interested when Kane first joined the Detroit Red Wings.

Maybe they thought it was a passing craze. Heck, I’ll be honest, I was 99% sure Kane was leaving after his comments to close out the season. In his media availability he kept speaking of, “they’s” and “them.” He didn’t include himself, something I heard from Raymond and Seider constantly.

It’s a small thing and maybe at that time, he was still thinking things over or maybe he didn’t feel that he was part of the team quite yet. Or maybe it was just him talking and I’m reading too much into it. (Sociology is one of my favorite subjects–I find it fun to study how people interact with the rest of the world.)

Berggren, like me, was excited to see Kane sign for the organization. It is a great shift for the organization and wouldn’t have been something I had even contemplated to start the 2023-24 season. 

A guy of Kane’s caliber sees something in this team, then he brings in a guy like Vladimir Tarasenko is almost mystifying. It’s no secret, I’m not the biggest Kane fan, but I can’t deny his success and clout in the NHL. When he talks, people listen. Where he goes, others go. His moves, people copy. 

To have someone choose the Detroit Red Wings, when he could realistically go anywhere (I’m not sure of a team who wouldn’t make room for Kane, let alone for his current contract), it’s wild to see.

A far cry from the 2019-20 NHL season.

Having a guy like Kane for Berggren to learn from, even if he doesn’t play in the NHL on Kane’s line or on the same power play unit, is something special.

Give him a few weeks with Kane and I think we’ll see an upgraded version of Berggren (not that one is particularly needed, but Kane along with Tarasenko and Alex DeBrincat to learn from and Raymond to grow with) is unmatched.

I’m not sure why the Detroit Red Wings or Berggren would want any other outcome. Seems like a match made in heaven to me.