The Detroit Red Wings announced Saturday morning that forward James van Riemsdyk has been activated from non-roster status. Defenseman Erik Gustafsson has been assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins after clearing waivers just days ago.
JvR has missed time due to personal reasons. The 36-year-old vet, signed this past offseason to a one-year deal, did not participate in training camp or preseason. He’s been in the NHL a long time, so I think Todd McLellan understands that JvR won’t need a lot of time to get up to speed. That being said, I’m not sure of his status for tonight’s game against Toronto. For what it’s worth, Max Bultman reported lines and pairs yesterday and van Riemsdyk was skating on the fourth line with Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton.
JvR won’t play a ton of minutes, but he will be a boon for Detroit’s power play. He’s one of the better net-front guys in the NHL and has been for some time.
The Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM ET.
In other news, Carter Mazur scored a hat-trick for the Griffins in a win over the Texas Stars last night.
