Detroit Red Wing sign defenseman Gustav Lindstrom

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Gustav Lindstrom to a one-year, $950,000 deal.

Lindstrom’s qualifying offer would have been $997,500, meaning this deal actually saved the Red Wings some money. He will be arbitration-eligible as an RFA next season.

Lindstrom has dealt with various injuries over the past two seasons, with the 24-year-old defender playing just 36 games this year. He had one goal and eight points as well as 20 penalty minutes, a dip from his 13 points in 63 games a year ago.

Lindstrom gives the Red Wings another depth option, someone who can play deep in the lineup, but potentially not as an everyday defender. The team has $27 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly, with just five NHL defensemen signed.

Simon Edvinsson will be promoted to full-time duty, and the Red Wings could look to Grand Rapids for extra help. The Red Wings have no UFAs and just one RFA of note: Joe Veleno. AHLers Jared McIsaac, Wyatt Newpower and John Lethemon are all pending RFAs down in the minors.

The Red Wings missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, finishing seventh in the Atlantic. Most expect the Red Wings to continue the upswing as the team builds a solid foundation, but making the playoffs in arguably the most difficult division could be a challenge.