There were plenty of offseason additions made by Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, though none could truly be considered of the “major splash” variety.
One such addition that is flying a bit under the radar with the potential to be among the more intriguing signings is that of former Winnipeg Jets forward Mason Appleton, who signed a two-year contract and will earn a $2.9 million annual cap hit.
It’s a homecoming of sorts, as he already had ties to Michigan with his two seasons in East Lansing for the Michigan State Spartans from 2015 through 2017.
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Selected 168th overall in 2015 by Winnipeg, Appleton has built a steady, unflashy NHL career, appearing in exactly 400 games. The majority of his time in the NHL has been played with the Jets aside from a relatively short time with the expansion Seattle Kraken before he was traded right back to Winnipeg that season.
While Appleton won’t be filling up the scoring sheet, one area he can thrive in is one that the Red Wings badly need help in – the penalty kill.
Detroit’s penalty killing flirted with NHL history last season, and not remotely in a good way. The Red Wings were in very real danger of setting the worst penalty killing efficiency percentage in League history since the statistic began being tracked in 1977.
They finished at 70.1 percent efficiency, the worst in the NHL and not far off from the all-time worst 68.2 percent set by the 1979-80 Los Angeles Kings.
Newly-Signed Mason Appleton Hungry For Playoff Hockey With Red Wings
He already has local ties to the Mitten State, and he’s returned – this time, as a seasoned NHL veteran.
Appleton is expected to slot into a bottom-six role with Detroit, but could be a central figure with their penalty killing as he was during his tenures with the Jets. He’ll also be filling a role that was occupied on the PK last season by Tyler Motte, who was not re-signed.
Don’t expect Appleton to hover any higher than around the 10 goal mark this season – but that’s not why he was signed. Yzerman clearly values his reliable 200-foot game, with the hope that he can provide a much-needed boost the penalty kill.
At 6’2″, Appleton also brings an element of size to the Red Wings lineup that also wants to be harder to play against.
Last season, Detroit missed the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference by just five points. Even an average penalty kill ranking could have made a significant difference in picking up those extra points in the standings.
Look for him to begin the season on either Detroit’s third or fourth line, but to be included in Detroit’s first penalty-killing unit.
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