In an unsurprising twist, the Red Wings announced Monday afternoon that Jonatan Berggren has been reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins:
Berggren suited up for three games after his recall in early March and didn’t have much to show for it. By sending him to the AHL now, Berggren remains waiver exempt by a slim margin — he has one more NHL game left before that designation is void.
Jonatan Berggren will now re-join the Griffins as they push for the playoffs. He’s been a prolific scorer at the AHL level since breaking out as a rookie during the ’21-’22 season. Berggren turns 24 in July and is a pending RFA that is arbitration-eligible.
The Spin
I have a hard time believing that Berggren’s abilities are in question here. We’ve seen him produce at the NHL level, and he’ll likely continue to do that when given the chance, whenever or wherever that may be. I simply think that perhaps he doesn’t fit into the type of team Derek Lalonde and Steve Yzerman are vying to build. As Max Bultman pointed out on Twitter, Detroit’s top-six is comprised of skill players, so not much room for him there for now.
Berggren will be an interesting story to watch in the offseason. If the Wings lose a player like Patrick Kane to free agency, that may be his opportunity to secure a full-time top-six role.
Speaking for myself, this move is nothing to lose sleep over. This will go one of two ways: Berggren could be traded in the offseason, or he could be given a clear path for full-time NHL work in Detroit. I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Hell, I may not even worry at all. Reality is — Jonatan Berggren is more important to the Griffins than he is the Red Wings right now.
