The recall of forward Austin Watson by the Detroit Red Wings for the West Coast leg of their five-game road trip may have caught you by surprise.

Originally, the thinking was that Carter Mazur would be the one getting the call from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. However, a lower-body injury he suffered earlier this week in practice scuttled that notion.

UPDATE: The #RedWings have recalled Austin Watson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. pic.twitter.com/PzYN4Bl2Cm

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 30, 2025

Nate Danielson might have been another viable option under normal circumstances. In his case, the center has only played two games since returning from an injury suffered in Red Wings training camp.

That seemed to turn the attention to winger John Leonard. He’s scored six goals in the past five games for Grand Rapids. Leonard was also a 36-goal scorer last season for the AHL Charlotte Checkers.

In Leonard’s case, perhaps the Red Wings didn’t want to take a scoring threat away from the 6-0 Griffins while the team is still unbeaten.

Red Wings Familiar with Watson

So why Watson then? Well, he does bring an element of toughness to the lineup. And perhaps because unless there’s another injury up front and a Detroit forward joins Patrick Kane (upper-body injury) on the shelf, in all likelihood, Watson might not see any game action on the trip.

In a sense, Watson was also more expendable than some of the other Grand Rapids forwards. He’s among eight veteran pros on the Griffins’ roster. AHL rules limit teams to suiting up six veteran pros per game. That regulation has limited Watson to four games this season.

Austin Watson going full Anakin Skywalker bringing out the lightsaber and fake swinging at a dudes chin in the jungle before a neutral zone face off is so nails pic.twitter.com/xsS6jO5okA

— Jordan Schmaltz (@J_Swish24) October 13, 2025

Watson, a 14-year veteran, has two goals, 20 penalty minutes, and a plus-one rating with the Griffins this season. Last season, Watson competed in his first AHL All-Star Classic and totaled 42 points (19-23-42), 112 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 rating in 60 regular-season games with the Griffins.

Watson also collected three goals in 13 appearances with the Red Wings in 2024-25. Throughout parts of 11 NHL seasons since 2012-13, the 33-year-old has 121 points (63-58-121) and 722 penalty minutes in 528 games.