In an unexpected move, the Red Wings put veteran defenseman Jonathan Ericsson on waivers Tuesday morning, according to Elliotte Friedman:

Ericsson (DET) on waivers today. Sbisa too

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 22, 2019

NHL teams have until noon tomorrow to claim Ericsson, though it’s unlikely that will happen. If the 35-year-old rearguard goes unclaimed, he could then report to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

An important reminder: If player clears waivers, the team does not have to immediately reassign the player. But once the player dresses for 10 games,  or spends 30 days on the NHL roster, the waiver will expire and the player will have to clear again before being sent to Grand Rapids.

Ericsson was drafted by the Red Wings in the 9th round back in 2002, since then, he’s amassed 662 games in the NHL. His future with the team appears certain — Ericsson is on the final year of his contract.

One important thing to remember is that if Ericsson is assigned to the AHL, the team does not receive cap relief for his entire Annual Average Value (AAV) of $4.25M. The team will receive cap relief of $375k + the minimum salary for this season of $700k for a total of $1.075M.