Defensive opportunity placed on NHL waivers for the Detroit Red Wings: Steve Yzerman's price is free

The Detroit Red Wings could always use more depth and more prospects. You never know what players will hit, and considering the timeline for an NHL defenseman to develop (5 years), they come at a premium.

For the Ducks, they feel they've got what they needed, and have placed defenseman Rodwin Dionicio on unconditional waivers for contract termination.

The Red Wings could swoop in, sign him to a bargain deal, and send him to the AHL to develop further, as a call-up.

Dionicio has only had a year of professional hockey experience in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls, where he played 24 games and scored 9 points (4-5).

He was originally a 129th overall pick in the 5th round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and played for the Niagara IceDogs, Saginaw Spirit, and Windsor Spitfires before taking the leap to the AHL.

Dionicio would choose to head to Europe after failing to land a regular spot in the Gulls lineup. He'd play nine games in Swiss-A with the Biel HC, scoring 6 points.

Given his offensive upside, it's puzzling to see why the Ducks wouldn't give the prospect more time to develop in the AHL. But this is a perfect situation for Yzerman to claim a prospect at no cost (other than his salary).

But that is besides the point, Dionicio is a left-shot defenseman, and the team is notoriously weak on the left with Ben Chiarot and Erik Gustafsson being the placeholders for now.

Like everything else, this is a numbers game, and for Yzerman, who likes to play things conservatively, this could be a nice little pickup.