As the Red Wings manage two injuries heading into three games on the road, Detroit opted to recall a pair of reinforcements from the Grand Rapids Griffins (both under emergency conditions, because they are injury replacements): forward Austin Watson and defenseman Brogan Rafferty.
Oct 14, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) checks Detroit Red Wings left wing Austin Watson (24) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. (Dennis Schneidler, Imagn Images)
Watson and Rafferty arrive as insurance options should Elmer Soderblom and Erik Gustafsson (neither of them healthy enough to practice Thursday) prove unable to go. Dominik Shine and William Lagesson are likely ahead of both those newcomers in the queue to enter the lineup, but with the Red Wings heading out west, they clearly still desire reserve options should the team pick up another injury on the road.
Watson played two games for the Red Wings back in October (both at fewer than 10 minutes of ice time) in what feels like an entirely different season by now. In 56 games this season for the Griffins, Watson has 16 points and 21 assists, though at the NHL level, he's much better known for his physicality than his scoring touch.
Rafferty, meanwhile, has played in just two career NHL games and none since the 2020-21 season when he was a Vancouver Canuck. You may recall that Rafferty was a regular call-up for the Red Wings last season when they needed an insurance option on the blue line, but he never actually featured in a game.
The Red Wings are scheduled to practice at 11 AM Thursday morning, after which coach Todd McLellan should provide further details on Soderblom and Gustafsson's status, along with the team's plans for Watson and Rafferty.
