Every once in a while, the Detroit Red Wings find a gem late in the draft.
A few years back, it was Elmer Soderblom in the sixth round. Recently, Emmitt Finnie joined the Red Wings as a seventh round pick. Before them, however, one of the bigger late round steals in the draft was defenseman Nick Jensen.
Jensen took a little while to gather his footing at the NHL level, but quickly established himself as a great shutdown defenseman for Detroit. At the time of his trade to the Washington Capitals, Jensen was 27. The Red Wings, on the other hand, were at the start of what would be a long, grueling rebuild. The trade sent a 2020 second round pick and Madison Bowey to the Red Wings in exchange.
That draft pick was used to acquire Cross Hanas, who never panned out at the NHL level.
Jensen, now 35, is an unrestricted free agent looking for his next contract. While reunions are typically joyful in the NHL, the Red Wings should avoid this one at all costs.
Red Wings learned their lessons with reunions
The thing is, the Red Wings have already tried the reunion angle before. This last season, Detroit made a trade for David Perron, bringing the wizened forward back to the club before the trade deadline. That result, which sent a 2026 fourth round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators, resulted in just three goals and yet another missed playoff berth.
A 35-year-old defenseman - specifically one with Jensen's skillset - is not a net benefit for the Red Wings.
Jensen's ice time took a hit this past season, going from an average of 20:13 a night to 17:01. Additionally, the Senators made Jensen a healthy scratch on more than one occasion. His injuries last season - especially at this point in his career - caused his production to take a hit. He only had 36 shots this last season as opposed to 77 the year before. In 61 games, the defensive-minded defenseman had four goals and 13 assists for 17 points.
Age, deployment, injury history and a lack of production aren't the only reasons the Red Wings should avoid signing Jensen, though.
Red Wings have no room for Jensen at this point
At this point, the Red Wings' top-four defensive pairings are all but locked in. Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider make up the top pair, while Ben Chiarot and Justin Faulk headline the second pairing. The bottom pairing, consisting of Jacob Bernard-Docker and Albert Johansson, is still a little up in the air despite Bernard-Docker's extension.
Still, would bringing Jensen on truly be an upgrade on either of those players?
Additionally, what about Axel Sandin-Pellikka? The young Swede is bound to make a push for a full-time NHL role this next season. Signing Jensen would almost certainly block his path to that spot and all but lock out other defenders from earning their NHL stripes.
All in all, there's no tangible benefit to bringing Nick Jensen back to the Red Wings.
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