Three former Detroit Red Wings who have failed to find work for the 2024-25 season have at least secured what amounts to an NHL job interview.

Matt Luff signed a PTO withe Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, while defensemen Gustav Lindstrom and Mark Pysyk secured the same pro tryout agreement with the Anaheim Ducks.

Luff, 27, has played 106 NHL games, including 19 for the Red Wings in 2022-23. The Red Wings appreciated his 6-foot-2 size and work ethic. When he was down the Grand Rapids Griffins, he was also an impact player. In 54 games for the Griffins over two years, he shows 18 goals and 43 points.

The only negative about Luff is he is unlucky when it comes to injuries. But he has the tools to be an effective bottom six forward with enough skill to chip in goals now and then.

Lindstrom is only 25, and played for the Ducks last season. Maybe the Ducks are waiting to see how their defense looks at the end of training camp.

Pysyk, 32, hasn’t played in the NHL since 2021-22. He was on Detroit’s roster with a signed contract, but never actually played for the team because of an Achilles injury. Last season, he played 37 AHL games.

Players sign PTO agreements with the hope of persuading the team to sign them. But they also just want to play preseason games to remind every team in the league they are available and ready to play.

The Red Wings have one noteworthy PTO player: Michigan native Austin Watson, 32, a hard-nosed, 240-pound left wing who played for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He has played for three NHL teams (Nashville, Ottawa and Tampa Bay)

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The Detroit Red Wings were right about Tyler Bertuzzi. They believed his playing style was perfect for postseason competition. The problem was the Red Wings didn’t qualify for the playoffs while he was on the team.

But Bertuzzi is earning rave reviews for helping the Bruins claim a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Florida Panthers. The Boston Bruins acquired Tyler Bertuzzi on the March 3 deadline day to provide goals and guts. He’s giving them what they needed. He extended his playoff point streak to four consecutive games Sunday by contributing a goal and an assist in the win against the Panthers.

The Bruins can wrap up the series with a win Wednesday at home.

Bertuzzi’s streak is the longest for a player in his first NHL playoff since Dallas’ Jamie Benn and Columbus’ Boone Jenner had five-game streaks in 2014. Bertuzzi is the first Bruins player to launch his NHL playoff career with a four-game streak since Joe Juneau did it 31 years ago.

Tyler played parts of seven seasons (305 games) for the Detroit Red Wings without appearing in a playoff game. He’s also been a prickly presence for the Bruins.

With six points in four playoff games, Tyler Bertuzzi is two points from tying the team record for the most points by a Boston player in his first playoff series. That’s owned by Ray Bourque (1980) and Jason Allison (1998).

Red Wings’ Offseason

The Red Wings  are preparing for the 2023 NHL draft (June 28-29, Nashville) and the free agent marketplace. Yzerman will be looking for a proven scorer, a player or two with toughness, and maybe a veteran right-shot defenseman. Right-shot defensemen are in short supply on the Detroit team and the Swedish media outlet Expressen is indicating that right-shot defenseman Gus Lindstrom is looking for work in Europe for next season. He’s a restricted free agent and he doesn’t seem to be making much progress with the Red Wings.

Expressen reports that Gustav Lindström is actively searching for a place to play in Europe next season.#LGRW https://t.co/PhrIDECdvl

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) April 24, 2023

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Tomorrow’s Red Wings looks at Elmer Soderblom’s playing in Detroit next season. He played as many games in Grand Rapids this season as he played in Detroit.
•  Go ahead and hit Moritz Seider. You will make his day. He’s not worried about being targeted.
• The Red Wings will give Marco Kasper a shot at making the team next fall, but he will have to play at a high level in preseason to stay.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Injured forward Patrice Bergeron is scheduled to practice today, but that doesn’t mean for that he will play Game 5. Meanwhile, David Krejci has already been ruled out for Game 5. Boston Bruins

Colorado: Defenseman Cale Makar has a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Colorado Avalanche

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Florida: Down 3-1 against the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers need to “win three Game 7s.” That’s all. Florida Panthers. 

Montreal:  Marco D’Amico writes about the Montreal prospects who have the most to prove next season. Montreal Canadiens.

Pittsburgh: Dave Molinari writes that the NHL needs to shorten up the review process. Let’s get on with the game! Pittsburgh Penguins

San Jose: Here’s how Erik Karlsson could actually accelerate the Sharks’ rebuild process. San Jose Sharks.

Vegas: Owen Krepps’ story about the Golden Knights pushing the Winnipeg Jets to the brink of elimination. Vegas Golden Knights.

The post The Daily: Bertuzzi Born For NHL Playoffs; Lindstrom Going Home? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

After re-signing coach Jeff Blashill, the Red Wings still have a few details to iron out this summer. Here are my predictions about how those issue will shake out:

          1. Glendening’s new contract will be announced the day after the expansion draft

Guessing this would be done already if it not for the complications of the team’s protected list. The Red Wings value Luke Glendening’s leadership, compete level and faceoff skill. He’s 32, old to be part of a rebuild. However, he sets a good example for the younger players. GM Steve Yzerman appreciates Glendening’s value.

          2. Gustav Lindstrom gets protected over Troy Stecher for expansion draft

Stecher is an entertaining player who makes things happen. But he was a scratch late in the season. Lindstrom is younger and looks like he will be a dependable bottom pairing guy. The Red Wings want to see how Lindstrom develops.

        3. The Red Wings re-sign Chase Pearson

The former Maine college player had a good season in Grand Rapids with eight goals and 22 points. He’s 23, and he’s 6-2, 200. He could end up as a inexpensive, reliable fourth liner for the Red Wings

          4. Marc Staal re-signs with Detroit

Both sides have interest. The Wings appreciate how hard Staal played last season. On one hand, the Red Wings don’t mind finishing near the bottom of the standings because they are stockpiling prospects. On the other hand, they don’t want to be uncompetitive to the point that young players are demoralized. Staal, 34, is 6-4, 210. The Red Wings don’t have an abundance of bigger players.

         5. A quiet free agent signing period

That’s necessary because the Wings need room for Moritz Seider, Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen and maybe Lucas Raymond to play full-time in Detroit. If Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Robbie Fabbri, Filip Zadina,  Adam Erne, Glendening, Rasmussen, Raymond and Veleno are on the team, that’s 10 forwards. Sending down Givani Smith without going through waivers isn’t an option. The Wings also have Namestikov, Frans Nielsen and Richard Panik under contract, although the latter two could be bought out. There’s also a crowd on defense, particularly if Staal does come back and the Kraken don’t select Stecher. The Red Wings may add one forward, one defenseman and a goalie if Jonathan Bernier doesn’t come back.

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