Erik Gustafsson signs two-year deal with Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a two-year contract worth $2 million per season.

Gustafsson is known for being a productive defenseman, having registered 31 points in 76 games on an $800,000 deal with the New York Rangers. The year before that, the Swedish blueliner had 42 points in 70 games between Washington and Toronto.

Gustafsson was originally drafted 93rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2012, but never played for the team. Instead, Gustafsson made his debut with Chicago in 2015-16, playing half the year in the NHL before going to the AHL on a full-time basis the following season. Gustafsson had a massive breakout year in 2018-19, scoring 17 goals and 60 points for a Blackhawks team that missed the playoffs.

Gustafsson hasn’t come close to that number since then. Over a two-year stretch, he bounced around from Chicago, Calgary, Philadelphia, and Montreal. He then returned to Chicago for the 2021-22 season before ending up in Washington last year, where he managed to break past the 30-point barrier for the first time in nearly half a decade.

Gustafsson gives Detroit another NHL-caliber defender on a team filled with veterans. Of the six signed blueliners, William Lagesson is the youngest at 28, with 23-year-old Moritz Seider still needing a new deal as an RFA. Ben Chiarot is the only defender making over $4 million, with two years left on his contract worth $4.75 million.

According to CapFriendly, the Red Wings still have $23.492 million in cap space, meaning they can remain active in free agency for the time being. Besides Seider, Lucas Raymond and Joseph Veleno are both RFAs seeking new deals.