The Detroit Red Wings have signed winger Jonatan Berggren to a one-year contract, the team announced on social media today. The contract is reportedly worth $825,000. Berggren is one of the three free agents that the Red Wings needed to sign this offseason. The 24-year-old from Uppsala, Sweden, was drafted by the Red Wings with the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft. With this contract signing in mind, where does that leave the Red Wings roster, keeping in mind that the roster is not complete yet.
This one-year, low-term contract is a “prove it deal” for Berggren. During the 2023-24 AHL season, Berggren scored 24 goals and added 32 assists in 53 games played for the Grand Rapids Griffins. This was the third season that Berggren had played for the Griffins. In 70 games played for the Griffins during the 2021-22 season, Berggren scored 21 goals and added 43 assists. During the next season, Berggren made his debut for the Red Wings, playing 67 games, scoring 15 goals, and adding 13 assists.
This contract leaves roughly $16.8 million in salary cap space for the Red Wings to sign defenseman Moritz Seider and winger Lucas Raymond. I have written that these two players will be the cornerstones of the Red Wings franchise moving forward. That is not to say that Berggren cannot have a place on the Red Wings’ roster. As the Red Wings’ roster currently stands, Berggren slots in as a third-line winger behind the likes of Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane.
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