Adam Erne Placed on Waivers, Will Play For Griffins If Unclaimed

The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Adam Erne on waivers today, presumably with the expectation of sending him to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Erne can theoretically be claimed by any of the 31 other NHL teams, although it seems unlikely that will occur.

Erne makes $2.1 million at a time when teams are trying to save cap space for the March 3 NHL trade deadline.

With Erne in the American Hockey League, the Red Wings can recall Jonatan Berggren who was temporarily moved off the Detroit roster to activate Filip Zadina. He needed to be activated to go to Grand Rapids for a two-game conditioning stint. The Berggren demotion was a paper transaction. Berggren didn’t actually join the Griffins.

With Erne in Grand Rapids, both Berggren and Zadina can be in Detroit Monday to practice for the Red Wings’ next game Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Red Wings haven’t played since losing 2-0 to the New York Islanders on Jan. 27.

Adam Erne hits waivers. Might be worth a look, some teams have horrendous fourth lines and this guy’s game is half decent at least defensively. Just don’t expect him to score. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/dSmDJjtFty

— Puckmarks (@puckmarks) February 4, 2023

Red Wings Finally Healthy

Erne has not been in the AHL since 2017-18 when he played 41 games for the Syracuse Crunch. This is the fourth season in Detroit for Erne who is one of the Red Wings’ most physical players. He leads Detroit with 122 hits. That’s 10 more than Moritz Seider and Ben Chiarot have.

Erne is having a better season offensively than he had last season. He has six goals in 43 games, the same number of goals he had last season in 74 games

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With Zadina returning to the lineup, the Red Wings are finally healthy. The Griffins have been the beneficiary of Detroit’s improved medical outlook. Since the Red Wings started sending players, such as Jakub Vrana, Alex Nedeljkovic, Elmer Soderstrom, etc., to Grand Rapids, the Griffins have played better hockey.

Going into tonight’s game against the Texas Stars, the Griffins have won three in a row and are 5-1-2 in their past eight games. Nedeljkovic has played a major role in their recent surge. Erne may also help. He boasted 26 points in 41 games the last time he was in the AHL.