According to a report from RG Media, the Detroit Red Wings are one of a handful of teams interested in facilitating an NHL return for Maxime Comtois, a 2017 draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks who spent last season in Russia, playing for the KHL's Dynamo Moscow.
Sep 29, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights forward Maxime Comtois (88) skates against the Arizona Coyotes during the second period of a preseason game at T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
"I felt like I got a second wind," RG quoted Comtois as saying in a recent interview. "I've always said I want to return to the NHL, and this season I did everything possible to make that happen. Hockey had become just a job for me in North America, but here, it became my passion again." Comtois scored 21 goals and gave 29 assists in 62 regular season games for Dynamo this season. Per RG, the Boston Bruins are among the other teams potentially interested in Comtois' services.
It is worth noting that Comtois played for the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team, from which five players (Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Michael McLeod) are currently standing trial for sexual assault. Comtois has not been charged with any wrongdoing. In 2022 (when these reports began to surface), he released a statement describing the allegations as "deeply troubling" and expressing his intent to fully cooperate with the investigation.
Now 26, Comtois has played 211 career NHL games (all but one with Anaheim, the other with the Carolina Hurricanes), totaling 38 goals and 49 points for 87 points. He's not a player with the potential to provide Detroit with a seismic impact, but he could be a low cost, quality depth acquisition.
