Former Detroit Red Wings career hits an all-time low as the worst was just confirmed

The Red Wings thought they were getting a player who could routinely pile up the points when they took Joe Veleno with the 30th overall pick in Round 1 of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

But Veleno never truly found his offensive groove in Detroit, and particularly struggled this year by routinely going multiple games without a single point. He was then traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for goaltender Petr Mrazek and forward Craig Smith.

Chicago decided he wasn't in their long-term plans, and flipped him to the Seattle Kraken last week for forward Andre Burakovsky. But like Chicago, Seattle also decided Veleno didn't fit their long-term vision.

Veleno has been placed on waivers by the Kraken for purposes of having the rest of his contract bought out.

He has 1 year left on his current deal with an AAV (average annual value) of $2,275,000.

Veleno's best offensive output was only 28 points (12G, 16A) in 2022-23; he only hit the 20 point mark on a single other occasion in his career.

This year, he finished with 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists) in 74 games between Detroit and Chicago. He can become a restricted free agent next summer.

Detroit originally selected Veleno with the 1st round pick they received from the Vegas Golden Knights in return for Tomas Tatar. He was also the final 1st round pick of former Red Wings GM Ken Holland before Steve Yzerman took over in April 2019.