As the NHL season runs past the halfway point and with the Olympic break approaching in just over two and a half weeks, the Detroit Red Wings have made a small cluster of roster moves in January.
First they recalled then sent back down forward John Leonard, who had played in seven games with them in December, putting up four points in the NHL after leading the AHL in points through the first month and a half of the season. Now they have now recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson and forward Sheldon Dries, while sending down rookie center Nate Danielson.
Gustafsson, who the Red Wings signed last year in hopes of replacing some of the production of Shayne Gostisbehere, didn't perform well in his first season with the Red Wings. The veteran Swede saw 60 games of action wearing the winged wheel and had 18 points at the end of the season to show for it. This preseason Axel Sandin-Pellikka played his way onto the main roster, despite not having yet reached his 21st birthday. That forced the Red Wings to reevaluate their d-corps. Gustafsson was assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins before the start of the season, and has been making the commute to there from Detroit ever since.
Dries, a local product from suburban Macomb, has experience at the NHL level, but has been primarily playing for AHL affiliate teams over the last few years. Last year Dries had 40 points in 65 games with the Griffins, and has 25 points in 26 games so far this year. Dries previously played for the Colorado Avalanche from 2018-2021
However, as the season drags on, things change. The Red Wings are in the tightest division race in the NHL. In those situations, the team has less space to allow their players to learn from their mistakes or grow out of their shortcomings as evidenced by Danielson's reassignment to Grand Rapids.
Red Wings have a logjam in Grand Rapids
Dries has 100-plus NHL games under his belt, and while he's never been the most productive player at the NHL level, he brings a physicality and experience element that Danielson simply doesn't have yet. The move also allows the Griffins to rotate their veteran players after Amadeus Lombardi returned to the lineup.
On the blue line, while Gustafsson might not have the same offensive prowess as he used to, but he's been playing at a point per game pace for the Griffins and would provide the Red Wings with a more known element on defense instead of some of the up and down play that Sandin-Pellikka has had in recent games.
While he hasn't played well for Detroit, Gustafsson is only a little over two years removed from a 30-plus point campaign with the Rangers. Dries likely won't be moving on to another team before the end of this season, to play with an NHL club, but he could be included as a small depth piece depending on how his audition with the Red Wings goes. Many teams are struggling in one aspect of their game or another, and adding depth is something every team is looking to do. Even if that is just for a seventh defenseman or 13th forward.
Right now, the Griffins have a surplus of players performing at a high level, and that's created a logjam both with some of the Red Wings prospects, and on the Griffins nightly roster sheet. With a surplus of players who have experience at the highest level, giving them some auditions in the show before the trade deadline could give them a fresh chance with a new team, or could play out unexpectedly well for the Red Wings themselves.