You know what they say, better late than never.
The Detroit Red Wings might be saying that about one of their newest members right now. During the summer, the management team made a few bets on players who looked like they wouldn’t pan out.
Now, the combination of Todd McLellan and Trent Yawney appears to have unlocked one new player.
Erik Gustafsson signed a two-year contract worth $2-million on July 1st. At the time, it looked like a good bet to shore up the offensive depth on the Red Wings’ back end. Through the first 27 games, he only recorded five points.
However, it appears as though something has been unlocked for him, and he now has three points in his last three games. In last night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Gustafsson netted his first goal with the Red Wings.
At 14:39 of the period, Gustafsson scored his first goal of the year. He finished the game with one goal, on one shot, in 14:16 of time on the ice.
The 32-year-old has been a third-pairing defender for the team all season long. He has spent 45% of his ice time this season paired up with fellow newcomer Justin Holl.
In 30 games, Gustafsson has eight points and averages 16:19 of ice time per game.
His best season came when he played for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19. Gustafsson played 79 games that season and recorded 60 points. Since then, he has finished with 30 points or more twice, in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The 32-year-old’s career point-per-game pace is 0.47, and this year, he is producing at 0.27.
This coaching change just might be what he needs to get more puck luck.
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