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Red Wings sign defenseman to two-year contract extension

Jacob Bernard-Docker will remain under contract with the Red Wings until the completion of the 2027-28 season
ByMichael Coyle|
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Jan 13, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker (25) skates during warm ups before a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker (25) skates during warm ups before a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images | Natalie Reid-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, the Detroit Red Wings announced that they signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year, $3.2 million extension, with an AAV of $1.2 million per year. 

This season, Bernard-Docker has appeared in 55 games, recording four assists, 58 hits, 18 penalty minutes and a plus-minus rating of plus-five. Originally signed on July 1 to a one-year $875,000 contract, the 25-year-old is averaging 15:00 minutes of ice time per night. 

The former 2018 first-round pick by the Ottawa Senators has skated in 199 games between the Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Red Wings, totalling six goals and 22 assists and a career plus-minus of plus-four. 

After spending the early portion of the season rotation with Travis Hamonic as the seventh defenseman, Bernard-Docker has claimed a role on the bottom defensive pair, appearing in the last 34 games in a row. 

Looking towards the future

This is the third defensive addition made this season, with eyes toward the future. A few months ago, the Red Wings signed Ben Chiarot to a three-year, $11.25 million contract beginning next season. During the trade deadline, Detroit acquired veteran blue-liner Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues. He remains under contract through the end of the 2026-27 season with a $6.5 million AAV.

The Red Wings' defensive core looks to remain much intact next season with Moritz Seider, Albert Johansson, Chiarot, Bernard-Docker and Faulk all under contract through next season. The only outlier as of right now is Simon Edvinsson. Edvinsson is a pending restricted free agent and has set himself up for a tidy pay increase and long-term deal with his performance this season.

Earlier this week, Axel Sandin-Pellikka was sent down to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins after appearing in 63 games, recording six goals and 13 assists in that time. He was among the bottom of all Red Wings with a plus-minus rating of minus-21. At times, the 21-year-old looked overmatched at the NHL level, so this signing could give the former 2023 first-round draft pick more time to develop at the professional level with the Griffins. 

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