Red Wings Recall Defenseman Following Edvinsson Injury

This afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings recalled defenseman William Lagesson from the Grand Rapids Griffins. The move is a response to the injury Simon Edvinsson suffered Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, which coach Derek Lalonde revealed after this morning’s skate would hold him out at least through the weekend.

Lagesson—whom Detroit signed as a free agent this summer and who has 100 games of NHL experience—has been recalled to the Red Wings roster already this season but has yet to play in a game (In 20 games with the Griffins, he has two goals, six assists, 18 penalty minutes, and a +10 rating). If all goes according to plan, that won’t change, so why recall him?

Lagesson’s call up is essentially an insurance policy and a practicality. Detroit hosts the Canadiens tonight at Little Caesars Arena before traveling to Montreal for the second half of a home-and-home tomorrow evening. The Red Wings will travel straight to Montreal after this evening’s game, so calling up Lagesson now allows him to make that trip as a reserve option should Detroit suffer an additional injury on defense tonight.

Looking beyond this weekend, Lalonde also referred to Monday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues as “a tall ask” for Edvinsson but expressed general optimism that it would not be a long-term injury.