Might This Former NHL Power Forward Interest Red Wings?

Making his team heavier and harder to play against was on the to-do list of Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman heading into this NHL offseason.

“This team in particular, I think I’d like us to be bigger, although I shouldn’t say bigger, harder, because we are pretty big, actually,” Yzerman said. “And I think we can demand that out of our own players, but also bring in some, maybe a different mix.”

Could former Anaheim Ducks winger Maxime Comtois be an element in that different mix?

🚨 Exclusive report: Maxime Comtois might return to the NHL! After reigniting his passion with Dynamo Moscow, Comtois has multiple offers—including from the Detroit Red Wings.

Do you think the red-and-white jersey will suit him?

via @DariaTuboltseva https://t.co/C66EypUoJm pic.twitter.com/r5z9WRF9bo

— RG (@TheRGMedia) May 18, 2025

There are published reports out of Russia that Comtois, who played in the KHL this season, is eyeing an NHL return. And it’s further suggested that the Red Wings are one of the team kicking the tires where Comtois is concerned.

He’d certainly check off a number of boxes that might be of interest to Yzerman. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound left-winger does indeed play a heavy game. In his last full NHL season with the Ducks in 2022-23, Comtois averaged 5.49 hits per 60 minutes. That would work out to an insane total of 451 hits over an 82-game season.

Comtois also wasn’t shy about dropping the gloves, though he wasn’t just a fighter. He did doff the mitts four times during the 2022-23 season.

Remember, it was Yzerman himself who was insinuating that fighting is about to make a comeback in the NHL.

Red Wings Would Like More Sandpaper

Austin Watson is already returning for a second season on a two-way deal. If the Red Wings could get Comtois inked to a similar-style contract, it would give them two players in the organization with significant NHL experience who don’t mind partaking in fisticuffs to protect teammates.

In the case of Comtois, 26, there’s also been evidence that he can contibute in other ways. A second-round draft pick, he scored 16 goals for the Ducks in 2020-21. This past season, he was collecting 21 goals and 50 points with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL. He also accumulated a league-leading 99 penalty minutes in 62 games.

Maxime Comtois' hat trick helped Dynamo to win 4th straight game after trailing 0-2 and to eliminate Ak Bars!#GagarinCup pic.twitter.com/1Ed5S7Xhp8

— KHL (@khl_eng) April 22, 2025

“I’ve always said I want to return to the NHL, and this season I did everything possible to make that happen,” Comtois told RG Media. “Hockey had become just a job for me in North America, but here, it became my passion again.”

He also has exemplified leadership capabilities. Comtois was Canada’s captain at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.