Gibson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings on Sunday.
Gibson had 12 goals and 44 points with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL last season. Detroit's second-round pick in 2023 isn't likely to offer much offensive production, though he could develop into a steady defensive presence. Gibson will likely open the 2024 campaign with AHL Grand Rapids.
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Red Wings' Dylan Larkin: Sets bar higher in ninth season
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Larkin finished with more points than games played for the first time in his nine-year career, adding 33 goals and 36 assists -- with 26 of those points on the power play -- across 68 contests in 2023-24.
A fierce competitor, Larkin fought to the bitter end of the regular season, and had it not been for the captain's late-season surge -- including two goals and five assists in the final four games -- the Wings wouldn't have had even the slightest hope for a playoff berth in those final moments of the 2023-24 campaign. Larkin appeared in five playoff games as a rookie in 2016, but the Wings haven't returned to the postseason since then. Staying healthy and solidifying his chemistry with Alex DeBrincat on the top line will be crucial steps in getting Larkin where he needs to be from both a fantasy standpoint and in terms of his playoff aspirations.
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Red Wings' Olli Maatta: Caps off productive campaign
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Maatta posted four goals, 14 assists, 96 blocked shots and a team-leading plus-14 rating through 72 games this season.
Maatta didn't post the type of stat that would enthrall the masses in fantasy hockey but was efficient for a retooled Red Wings blue line that desperately needed more cohesion and consistency. The 2024-25 campaign will be a contract year for Maatta before potentially being able to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
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Red Wings' Jake Walman: Robust totals in abbreviated season
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Walman finished the season with a career-high 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) to complement 42 hits and 151 blocked shots through 63 games.
Walman was bogged down by an illness in January, and a lower-body issue limited him to two games in the season's final month. But when healthy, Walman surfaced with a series of special moments. The skilled defenseman surged to a three-point performance while facing the Predators in the penultimate contest of 2023, and his penalty-shot goal in overtime against the Canucks on Feb. 11 roused the home crowd. Walman's industrious style of play makes him a good fit in Detroit, though he may be a bit too injury-prone to stay on fantasy rosters for a sustained period.
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Red Wings' Christian Fischer: Discouraging finish in Motown
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Fischer completed his debut campaign with the Red Wings, adding five goals, 14 assists and 138 hits through 79 games. He was neutral in the plus-minus category.
Despite a bottom-six role, Fischer has proven that he's capable of providing a decent amount of offense, but his production screeched to a halt at a time when the Red Wings were desperate in their attempts to clinch a playoff berth. Fischer was held without a point for the final 12 games, failing to provide ancillary scoring for the Original Six club that failed to qualify for the postseason. It could end up being a "one-and-done" stint for Fischer in the Motor City, as the physical winger is a pending unrestricted free agent.
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Red Wings' Ben Chiarot: Caps off well-rounded campaign
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Chiarot finished with five goals, 15 assists, 163 hits and 167 blocked shots for the 2023-24 campaign.
Chiarot averaged 19:47 of ice time in his second season with the Red Wings. He's a serviceable blueliner, albeit not the type that will captivate the masses in fantasy hockey. Chiarot's power-play role was left behind in Montreal when the Habs dealt him to the Panthers in March of 2022, and the Wings have since rendered him more of a stay-at-home style of defenseman. Chiarot is halfway through a four-year, $19 million deal with the Wings, which has a modified no-trade clause baked in there as well.
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Red Wings' Joe Veleno: Improves in fourth year
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Veleno finished with 12 goals, 16 assists and a minus-16 rating through 80 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Veleno established new career highs for goals and helpers, but that should be taken with a grain of salt, as this was just his fourth year in the league, including a five-game sample in the 2020-21 campaign. When Veleno was drafted in the first round (No. 30 overall) in 2018, the consensus thought among hockey pundits was that the skilled forward would rapidly evolve into a top-six skater with heavy utilization on the power play, but that hasn't materialized. Veleno took a pay cut ahead of last season and ended up with a one-year, $825,000 contract to remain with the Wings. The 24-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent after showing modest improvement this season.
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Red Wings' Justin Holl: Opportunities scarce in Motown
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Holl was a part-time player for the Red Wings in 2023-24, with five assists representing his point total through 38 games.
Expectations were high for Holl since the Wings granted him a three-year, $10.2 million contract last summer, but the right-shot defenseman wasn't utilized nearly as often as he was with the Maple Leafs for the first six years of his NHL career. In 2022-23, Holl picked up a pair of goals, 16 assists, 139 blocked shots and 151 hits in 80 games for Toronto, and he averaged 20:14 of ice time. The Wings' blue line was much more crowded in comparison this year, leaving Holl as the odd-man out in terms of opportunities.
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Red Wings' Austin Czarnik: Clears waivers Thursday
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Czarnik passed through waivers Thursday, per CapFriendly.
The 31-year-old was placed on waivers Wednesday. He inked a two-year, two-way deal in July of 2022 with Detroit and played in 63 games over two seasons, scoring three times and adding three assists. He played 36 games with AHL Grand Rapids this season, scoring nine times and adding 17 helpers. He will likely return to Grand Rapids for the AHL playoffs before becoming a UFA at the end of the season.
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Red Wings' Simon Edvinsson: Sent to minors
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Edvinsson was reassigned to AHL Grand Rapids on Wednesday.
Edvinsson had a goal and an assist in 16 contests with Detroit this season. He also has recorded eight goals and 29 points in 52 games with Grand Rapids. The Red Wings' campaign is over, but he should be a serious contender for a roster spot with the big club during training camp. The Red Wings took him No. 6 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.
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Red Wings' Zach Aston-Reese: Heads to AHL
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Aston-Reese was sent to AHL Grand Rapids on Wednesday.
Aston-Reese had no points, two PIM and three hits in three contests with Detroit this season. With the Red Wings' campaign over, it makes sense for him to rejoin the minor-league squad. The 29-year-old forward has 14 goals, 29 points and 51 PIM in 59 outings with Grand Rapids.
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Red Wings' Daniel Sprong: Two points against Habs
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Sprong scored a goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens.
The journeyman winger produced his first multi-point performance since Jan. 4 in a must-win game for the Red Wings, but it wasn't enough to get them into the playoffs. Sprong wraps up his first campaign in Detroit with 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games, falling just short of the career-best numbers he posted last season for Seattle. The 27-year-old is set to hit the market as a free agent this summer.
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Red Wings' James Reimer: Gets shootout win Tuesday
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Reimer stopped 29 shots in regulation and overtime and all three shootout attempts he faced in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Canadiens.
Detroit needed to win and get some help to sneak into the playoffs, and while Reimer got the job done, Washington also won in Philadelphia to lock up the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Reimer finishes the regular season having gone 11-8-2 in 25 outings with a 3.11 GAA and .904 save percentage, and the 36-year-old will likely head into the offseason in search of a backup role with another club as a free agent.
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Red Wings' Shai Buium: Inks entry-level contract
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Buium signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Red Wings on Wednesday. The deal will begin with the 2024-25 campaign.
Buium had seven goals and 36 points in 43 NCAA games with the University of Denver this season. Detroit selected him with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He'll join AHL Grand Rapids for what's left of the 2023-24 campaign on an amateur tryout agreement. It wouldn't be surprising if he also starts 2024-25 in the minors, though he should at least get a long look with the big club during Detroit's training camp.
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Red Wings' Moritz Seider: Lights lamp in season finale
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Seider scored a goal in the regular-season finale Tuesday, a 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens.
Winged Wheel fans won't get to see how Seider would fare in the playoffs, at least not this year, as Detroit was eliminated from playoff contention by virtue of the Capitals defeating the Flyers on Tuesday. Still, it was another strong regular-season campaign for the fiery young defenseman who just cashed out the balance of his entry-level contract with the Wings. Seider registered a career-high nine goals to complement 33 assists in 2023-24, matching his point total from last season. He remained a force on the man advantage based on three goals and 14 assists, and his defensive contributions were rock solid as well, as Seider blocked 213 shots and delivered 210 hits. Risk-averse fantasy managers will likely place a premium on Seider during next year's drafts since the durable defenseman has yet to miss a game.
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Red Wings' Shayne Gostisbehere: Two helpers in regular-season finale
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Gostisbehere registered six shots on goal and two assists in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens.
He was the primary distributor on Joe Veleno's second-period goal, and Gostisbehere found David Perron for the game-tying tally with just five seconds remaining in regulation. The Red Wings earned the win they desperately needed, but the Capitals defeating the Flyers minutes beforehand caused the Wings to fall just short of a playoff berth. Gostisbehere ended up with 10 goals, 46 assists and a whopping 29 power-play points through 81 games in his debut campaign in Detroit. He's set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
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Red Wings' Lucas Raymond: Strong finish to season
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Raymond posted an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens.
Raymond was Detroit's best player in April, as he delivered seven goals and 12 points through eight contests. Fans of the Winged Wheel were given a renewed sense of hope that their team would be playoff bound in large part to Raymond's game-tying goal against the Penguins last Thursday and his overtime tally versus the Habs on Monday, but the Capitals snuck into the postseason instead by virtue of beating the Flyers in their regular-season finale. Raymond's third season included 31 goals, 41 assists and 16 power-play points through 82 games. He will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Reimer will defend the road net Tuesday against the Canadiens, according to Daniella Bruce of the Red Wings' official site.
Reimer has won four of his last five outings, including a 32-save effort in Saturday's 5-4 overtime victory over Toronto. He has a 10-8-2 record this season with a 3.07 GAA and a .905 save percentage across 24 appearances. Montreal is tied for 26th in the league this campaign with 2.81 goals per contest.
