The Detroit Red Wings gave Sheldon Dries a two-year contract extension, and it’s necessary to look at Dries’ resume to fully understand the move.
Dries, 31, has been a pro player since 2017-18, played 122 NHL games, and could be on his way to another 25-goal season for the Grand Rapids Griffins. He’s also a center, and you can’t have enough of those in an NHL organization.
The former Western Michigan player and a Michigan native, Dries hasn’t played for the Red Wings since being signed before the 2024-25 season. But the Red Wings appreciated that he’s an effective AHL player (15 goals, 29 points in 34 games) and won’t be starry-eyed if they have to call him up in an emergency. The Red Wings have been relatively injury-free this season, but usually, depth players like Dries are valuable to have playing for your farm team. Dries was called up recently, but the Red Wings didn’t need him and sent him back down to Grand Rapids this weekend.
He boasts offensive skill, evidenced by the fact that he netted 35 goals for Abbotsford in 2021-22. He even netted 11 goals for the Vancouver Canucks in 63 games in 2022-23.
This is a two-way contract, meaning he is paid a close-to-minimum salary at the NHL level, and a smaller salary when he’s in the AHL. The lure of the deal for Dries is a well-above-average salary when he plays for the Griffins.
According to puckpedia.com, Dries’ NHL salaries are $850,000 and $900,000 when he is called to Detroit over the next two seasons, and $375,000 when he is playing for the Griffins.