Over the course of the Detroit Red Wings’ teardown and rebuild, they have parted ways with a number of players whose names and faces are still etched in the minds of fans to this day. While it’s never fun to say goodbye – especially when the players heading out the door have been within the organization since they were drafted – those moves are necessary to pave the way for the future.
The Red Wings find themselves in a spot where their teardown is complete, and are now trying to establish their core while surrounding them with useful veterans up and down the lineup. Detroit has a healthy chunk of cap space to play with this summer and should have a few roster spots to fill, even after taking care of their own pending free agents. Much attention has gone towards the big-ticket items they could target on the free agent market, but they won’t fill all of their needs by adding star power – they will need to fill out their depth as well.
When it comes to adding depth, there is some value in familiarity. How many times throughout NHL history has a player joined a team to fill out the lineup and then that player never seems to fit in? When the player coming in is already familiar with the city, the rink, the fans and even some of the players on the team, there’s an immediate comfort level that is hard to replicate.
With that in mind, here are three players that could return to Detroit this summer after departing earlier in the team’s rebuild.
Pius Suter
Pius Suter, who last played with the Red Wings back in 2023, is coming off of arguably the most successful of his five seasons in the NHL. In his second season with the Vancouver Canucks, the Swiss forward had 25 goals and 46 points in 81 games, with his goal and point totals being career-highs. He even received a fifth place vote for the Selke Trophy this season, which recognizes the league’s top defensive forward.
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Suter joined the Red Wings on a two-year deal during the 2021 offseason in hopes that he would stabilize the team’s second line from the center position. While that never materialized, he did have a solid, if unceremonious stay in Detroit. He had 60 points in 161 games and finished out his stint with the Red Wings on the team’s fourth line. He was a bit overcompensated for his role, but he was a solid contributor when called upon, especially on the defensive side of things.
Suter…
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