Completed signing by the Detroit Red Wings has huge upside: "I want to show what I can do"
Photo credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings signed RFA Jonatan Berggren to a one-year deal, for him to "prove-it" in Hockeytown that he's worth the risk.
The Detroit Red Wings have placed their faith in forward Jonatan Berggren, as they've signed him to a one-year deal in 2025-26.
The deal pays the depth forward $1.825 million, as the team hopes the former 2nd-round pick can tap into his full potential for the next season. In order to keep the team on the path to the playoffs, and in the hopes that he isn't a bust.
«Last year was a good year for me,» Berggren recently told DetroitRedWings.com. «I feel like I got more opportunity after Todd [McLellan] became head coach, and I think I played better. This one-year deal is a prove-it-deal for me. I want to show what I can do.»
Berggren played a total of 75 games last season, scoring 24 points (12-12), which gave him an uptick of confidence in the NHL, as he spent a majority of the season with the Red Wings.
He felt confident because instead of jumping from the AHL to the NHL like he'd experienced previously,
Since the former 2nd-round pick arrived in Detroit in 2022-23, the Swedish-born forward has posted 58 points (29-29) in 154 games for the Wings.
He's worked hard to get where he is in the NHL, and continues to work to tap into the potential that resulted in him getting a spot in the NHL.
Berggren has trained all summer in Sweden. The workout starts at 8 A.M. and has a two-hour period of recovery.
He's also been resting and relaxing, as he knows when he makes the trip to Hockeytown, it'll be pedal to the metal for the Wings when training camp starts.
Berggren feels that the team will benefit from the leadership of Todd McLellan, as he'll be undertaking his first training camp as Red Wings coach.
Berggren feels like Red Wings got boost of momentum when hiring head coach Todd McLellan
«I feel like we played really good hockey when Todd came in,» Berggren said. «Now that we're going to start with him, it's going to be good to have a full camp with the new systems rather than how we had to learn during the middle of the season. That's going to be huge.»
The Red Wings desperately need a reason to keep Berggren around instead of turning him into trade bait. But for Berggren, that will come from within, as he'll have to take on a bigger role in the offense, and give McLellan a reason to give him better assignments.
For now, he remains a bottom-six forward until he continues his evolution.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
