When Erik Gustafsson signed as a UFA with the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2024, he was feeling a sense of comfort. He’d inked a two-year deal, meaning that he might be staying with the same team two years in a row for the first time in a decade.

“It was really fun to sign for two years,” Gustafsson told Johan Ericsson of Swedish website Expressen. “Higher salary and everything like that. Show that all the hard work you’ve put in has paid off.”

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a two-year contract with an AAV of $2M. pic.twitter.com/F8ccbgdiaf

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2024

Life has a way of throwing curves at a fellow, as Gustafsson knows all too well. Today, he finds himself demoted to the AHL for the first time since the 2017-18 season, playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

“It didn’t go so well last year at the beginning,” Gustafsson said of his Red Wings debut. “The coach (Derek Lalonde), who didn’t get along… Then it went better when the new coach (Todd McLellan) came in.

“But yeah… now we’re here. It’s been tough. It came as a shock.”

Gustafsson Commuting To GR

Gustafsson is maintaining his home in Detroit with his wife and children. He makes the two-hour commute to Grand Rapids and back each day.

No veteran NHLer is happy to be sent down to the minors. But Gustafsson brought the right approach to his demotion.

“If I go here and sulk, it won’t be good for me, and it won’t be good for the team,” Gustafsson said.

He also recognizes that things could be much more difficult with his family situation if he were playing for another NHL organization.

“Even though it’s tough to have four hours behind the wheel just to get to training, you have to think about what alleviates the situation,” Gustafsson said. “It could have been much worse.”

Gustafsson and his wife Hannah have three young daughters.

“I told my wife and family that it could have been in a completely different city,” Gustafsson said. “Then I would have had to fly there and stay in a hotel the whole time and not get to see the children.

“Now I can come home and visit them every day and pick them up from school and everything. I still get to be a part of their lives right now.”

Gustafsson Understands Why Red Wings Kept Sandin Pellikka

Veteran defensemen Gustafsson and Justin Holl were both given assignments to the AHL Griffins after clearing NHL waivers. Rookie Axel Sandin Pellikka, a 2023 first-round pick of the Red Wings, won a spot in training camp, making them expendable.

UPDATE: The #RedWings have activated James van Riemsdyk from non-roster and assigned Erik Gustafsson to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. pic.twitter.com/wcRcuqHbP8

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 11, 2025

Gustafsson was impressed by the work of Sandin Pellikka during the NHL preseason.

“It’s great to see,” Gusatafsson said. “He’s doing a great job.

“A very skilled player, and he learned a lot during the camp. Calm with the puck, and good without it.”

He also understands how the business works and is aware that the Red Wings are shopping him to other NHL teams.

“I talk a lot with my agent (Craig Oster),” Gustafsson said. “I know that there are teams that want me. Then Detroit has to release me, too.

“So we’ll see what happens. But I know that there are other teams that want me.”