Red Wing Send Watson, Holl Back to Grand Rapids

The Detroit Red Wings, with no game scheduled until Thursday, reassigned Justin Holl and Austin Watson to the Grand Rapids Griffins Tuesday

It’s possible that injured defenseman Jeff Petry or forward forward Christian Fischer will be ready to play against the New York Rangers Thursday. Or, the Red Wings are accruing much-needed cap space and will recall them Thursday.

Having signed Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond to lucrative, long-term deals, GM Steve Yzerman currently only has $585,000 in cap space remaining.

Holl, 33, has been a solid performer as a replacement for Petry, averaging more than 18 minutes per game. He boasts one assist, and five blocked shots. His plus-minus is plus-1. Coach Derek Lalonde said Holl played well in the team’s loss to the Rangers. Watson played nine shifts for 4:59 minutes against the Rangers.

If Petry or Fischer are not ready to play, the Red Wings will recall Holl, Watson or both.

Depending upon what happens with injuries, Holl and Watson could be shuttling back and forth from Detroit to Grand Rapids all season.

One question the Red Wings might have to answer at some point is whether veteran Holl is playing more effectively than veteran Petry. Lalonde is also looking for playing time for Erik Gustafsson who was made a healthy scratch in the second and third games after playing poorly in the season opener. The Red Wings would like to see him back in because of his power play contributions.

Meanwhile, rookie Albert Johansson has played well in his first NHL games. He has given Detroit the steady, dependable play the coaches want from him.