The Red Wings have signed restricted free agent winger Jonatan Berggren to a one-year contract valued at $825K, according to a team announcement.
This deal is reasonable for Berggren, who aims to secure a regular NHL spot for the 2024-25 season. In his rookie year of 2022-23, he tallied 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games. However, last season he spent the majority of his time with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, appearing in only 12 NHL games with 2 goals and 6 points, while averaging 10:52 minutes of ice time per game.
Detroit GM Steve Yzerman had hoped to finalize Berggren’s contract after settling with high-profile RFAs Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. However, the urgency to have Berggren signed before training camp was emphasized by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, ensuring he would have the chance to secure a roster spot in the upcoming weeks.
Raymond and Seider are still unsigned and will be training-camp holdouts if no agreements are reached by Wednesday morning. With Berggren’s contract in place, the Red Wings have $16.82M in cap space to manage the RFA pair, as noted by PuckPedia.
Despite his demotion, Berggren was impressive in Grand Rapids, leading the team with 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 53 games and adding 10 points in nine playoff games.
With players like Robby Fabbri, David Perron, and Daniel Sprong no longer with the team, Berggren has a solid chance of securing a top-nine role in Detroit this season. If needed, he could even step into a top-six position temporarily.
Since Berggren is no longer waiver-exempt, the Red Wings risk losing him to another team if they attempt to reassign him to Grand Rapids. Additionally, he will have arbitration rights if he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
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