Detroit – Jonatan Berggren never could cement a spot in the Red Wings’ lineup.
Maybe in St. Louis it’ll be different.
Berggren will get a chance to solidify his NHL future after being claimed on waivers Tuesday by the Blues.
Berggren, 25, was waived by the Wings on Monday after only playing 15 games with six points (two goals, four assists), and having played only one game since late November.
When the Wings recalled forward John Leonard on Monday from Grand Rapids and inserted Leonard into injured Patrick Kane’s spot in the lineup, while leaving Berggren out of the lineup, it was a sign of how far Berggren had fallen.
“Berggy is a real good hockey player and he’s a good human being,” said coach Todd McLellan after Tuesday’s morning skate. “When opportunity dries up in one spot you have to think about the individual a little bit, too. Maybe he’ll get an opportunity. We’ll find out later (Tuesday) if someone will pick him up and give him an opportunity.”
Berggren scored 15 goals as a rookie in 2022-23 but wasn’t able to make the opening night roster the next season. Inconsistency and defensive struggles were main deficiencies that eventually led to Berggren coming out of the lineup.
In 169 games with the Wings, Berggren had 31 goals and 33 assists.
“He is an offensive producing player that probably hasn’t produced enough offense when we put him in the lineup,” McLellan said. “He’s been somewhat reliable, though, defensively. Sometimes these things just happen.”
Berggren finally returned to the lineup Thursday in Edmonton, but had no shots on net and no points on 15 shifts, in 11:10 of ice time.
Berggren signed a one-year contract worth $1.825 million last summer and is a restricted free agent after this season.
The waiving of Berggren completes a terrible 2018 NHL Draft for the Wings.
The Wings drafted Filip Zadina (sixth overall) and Joe Veleno (30th) in the first round, while selecting Berggren (33rd) and defenseman Jared McIsaac (36th) in the second round. Zadina is out of the NHL and playing in Switzerland, while Veleno was traded to Chicago for goaltender Peter Mrazek at last season’s deadline and is currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens. McIsaac is playing professionally in Slovakia.
The only other player drafted by the Wings who is still in the NHL is defenseman Alec Regula, a third-round pick that year who is currently with the Edmonton Oilers.
Debunked theory
McLellan doesn’t buy into the theory that teams struggle in the first game or two after a long road trip as they readjust to the time zone and adapt to being at home again.
Having had a day off and one practice, McLellan feels the Wings should be ready to play this week with two home games on consecutive nights.
“Especially after having a practice day (Monday) like we had, it’s not like we came from the West Coast,” McLellan said. “We gained time zones coming back and had a day off (Sunday). We had a good practice, guys brought it. Their spirits were up and had energy.
“There’s no reason for us to fall into that, ‘Hey, you’re just getting home from a long road trip, you’re not supposed to play well’ trap.”
‘He’s a unicorn’
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall draft pick in June, is the early favorite to win the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year).
Schaefer is the latest among the young players (Conor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini in last two years) who have stepped in and made quick, significant impacts in the NHL.
But McLellan feels they are the exceptions.
“Some of these guys are unicorns,” McLellan said. “Not all of the 17-, 18-year-old first-rounders, or top-five picks, are doing what Schaefer is doing or what Connor (McDavid) did (2015), or (Jack) Eichel (second overall, 2015) or (Auston) Matthews (2016). They made it hard on everybody because the next guy who came along, everybody expected him to roll in and away he goes.
“Schaefer is probably doing it right now. He’s that good, he’s a unicorn. That defenseman who goes in the top three or four (in June 2026), that’ll be the comparison and it’s never fair.
“Unicorns are unicorns.”
Rampaging Griffins
The Wings’ minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins continue to skate to a legendary start to this season.
The Griffins have won 22 of their first 24 games (22-1-0-1), having earned 45 of 48 possible points, with 18 regulation victories. They are currently on an 11-game win streak.
The Griffins have scored 49 more goals than their opponents (93-44), a staggering number this early in the season.
“Everyone has been off to a really good start,” said forward John Leonard, who was recalled Monday by the Wings to replace injured Patrick Kane. “It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of. It’s a really tight-knit group down there. It starts with the coaching staff and management. We got really close right away, and that has translated really well on the ice.
“It’s been a good start, obviously, the first 20-25 games down there.”
Leonard leads the AHL with 19 goals and is second with 29 points.
Mammoth at Red Wings
▶ Faceoff: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
▶ TV/radio: TNT/HBO MAX/97.1
▶ Notable: The Wings play rare back-to-back home games. … The Mammoth played Tuesday in Boston while the Wings were hosting the New York Islanders. … The Wings play in Utah Feb. 4, the final game before the Olympic break. … RW Clayton Keller (18 assists) and D Mikhail Sergachev (18 assists) lead Utah offensively.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
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