"Depth" is a very commonly used buzzword in the NHL. Still, it's an extremely vital piece of the puzzle in building a winning roster. Depth is what turns a good team into a great one. Depth can be your saving grace or your downfall depending on how a team is structured. In the case of the Detroit Red Wings, depth doomed the team this season.
In order to alleviate some of the pain felt in 2024-25, the Red Wings signed a few depth pieces to bolster the roster. Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic jumped in on defense, while James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton beefed up the bottom-six.
On paper, Vladimir Tarasenko's scoring (albeit extremely low production) shouldn't be replaced with someone like Appleton.
The thing is, when it comes to a player like Mason Appleton, it's important to have the right expectations.
How Appleton performed in 2025-26
It's hard to look at a player like Mason Appleton and fault him for a lack of scoring. After all, the defensive forward played an average of just 13:31 a night -- the lowest among forwards not named Michael Rasmussen or James van Riemsdyk. Still, managing just 14 points is nothing short of disappointing.
Games | Points | ATOI |
|---|---|---|
65 | 14 | 13:31 |
To be fair, Appleton has only scored above the 20-point mark three times in his career and played just 65 games this season. That said, a big reason Red Wings fans are critical of Appleton isn't his play style. The Red Wings already have several defensive forwards. Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen have all played their fair share of defensive-minded minutes. Why add another low-scoring forward into the mix?
If it's a matter of trust, the Red Wings won't improve by adding more of the same player. If it's a matter of deployment, the solution should have been addition by subtraction rather than adding another element to the equation.
Appleton is perfectly fine for what he is. It's hard to knock a defense-first forward for not putting up high scoring numbers. The Red Wings have a substantial logjam in the bottom-six. Adding Appleton to the mix fomented a lot of unrest among the fanbase.
Where Appleton can improve next season
At this point in his career, Appleton is what he is. There's not really much head coach Todd McLellan can do to refine his game or to mkae him a better scorer. The Red Wings, in all likelihood, will keep Appleton on the lineup as a fourth line specialist. It's hard to say what his numbers will be like in 2026-27. That said, anything above 14 points would be seen as an improvement. Since January 1, 2026, Appleton has just three points. That will need to change if the Red Wings are serious about contending.
Appleton is signed through next season at $2.9M per season. As far as value goes, he's paid fairly for what he does and he's perfectly fine in the defensive end. All in all, Appleton is a perfectly good player, but not the kind of player the Red Wings need right now.
Season Grade: C
Add us as a preferred source on Google