Red Wings: With Patrick Kane out, there’s opportunity for John Leonard
Detroit Red Wings John Leonard, Dylan Larkin & Todd McLellan, Dec. 15, 2025 in Detroit.
Jonatan Berggren’s tenure with the Detroit Red Wings has come to an end, as he heads to a new NHL team.
The St. Louis Blues claimed Berggren on Tuesday, Dec. 16, a day after the Wings placed the 25-year-old forward on waivers.
The second-round pick (No. 33) from 2018 scored 15 goals as a rookie in 2022-23, but struggled to make a convincing argument he should be in the lineup. Under coaches Derek Lalonde and Todd McLellan, who arrived last Christmas, Berggren was relegated to being a healthy scratch. He appeared in 15 games this season, with just one game since Thanksgiving.
“When opportunity dries up in one spot, you have to think about the individual a little bit, too,” McLellan said Tuesday morning.
The issue has been Berggren’s assertiveness and his play in the defensive zone. He doesn’t play a grinder-type game, but was too much of a defensive risk to play in the top six.
That the Wings were ready to clear Berggren from the roster was made especially clear Monday morning, when they called up John Leonard from the minors in response to losing Patrick Kane to injury, rather than insert Berggren into the mix.
In 169 games with the Wings, Berggren posted 31 goals and 33 assists and a minus-31 rating.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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