It’s a big game of musical chairs…on ice.
Austin Watson (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
AHL promotions and demotions happen all year long.
The Detroit Red Wings are demoting Austin Watson, a bruising forward. This demotion is good for two different reasons.
It’s not that the Red Wings haven’t gotten what they need from him. Unfortunately, head coach Todd McLellan doesn’t seem keen on utilizing him all that much. But, at this point in the season, every win is crucial, and McLellan needs to ice the best team every single night.
In eight games, he only averaged 6:10 of time on ice per game. Here are the ice times for all eight games he’s played with the Red Wings this season: 4:54, 9:06, 8:53, 6:07, 9:34, 3:34, 3:06, and 4:03.
Yeah, I’d say it’s a good thing he was sent down.
Watson has had a solid AHL season in 2024-25. He has 16 goals and 37 points in 56 games. Although he was never truly given a chance at the NHL level, he still managed to score two goals.
Additionally, he’s been able to bring more physicality to the Grand Rapids Griffins than the Red Wings. Watson has partaken in 11 fights this season, 10 of which have been in the AHL.
Soderblom brings more skill to the Red Wings and will give the squad a big boost to continue pursuing an Eastern Conference Wild Card position.
