Wings extend young defenseman poised for make-or-break season

Albert Johansson, who has a huge season ahead of him, has been signed to an extension by the Detroit Red Wings.

The23-year-oldfromthe2019draftagreed toaone-year,two-waycontract.Heis,however, no longer waiver exempt, so it is unlikely he willlandintheminorsastheWingsaren’tlikely to risk losing a defenseman they’ve spent years developing.

Steve Yzerman, whose first draft as general manager of the Wings was in 2019, said at his season’s-end review in April that Johansson would be on next season’s roster. The Wings need to figure out what they have in him,andwhetherhewillbeapartoftheirpath back towards the playoffs.

Johansson doesn’t have the pizzazz of Simon Edvinsson, a 2021 first-round pick who also will be on the roster out of camp come fall, but could find a role as a thirdpairing defender. Johansson (6 feet, 185 pounds) spent the 2023-24 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, recording six goals and15 assists along with a plus-seven rating in 66 games, along with three assists in nine playoff games. He also played in the American Hockey League in 2022-23 (15 points in 53 games) and before that, he spent two seasons in his native Sweden’s top hockey league, so he’s well-tested playing against men.

Johansson projects to get plenty of looks during the exhibition season, giving the Wings a chance to evaluate him. As it stands, the Wings have veteran defensemen Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Jake Walman, Olli Määttä and Jeff Petry under contract through next season, and Edvinsson, 21, is also signed.

At some point, restricted free agent Moritz Seider will be signed to a lucrative new deal, putting the Wings at eight defensemen. Yzerman is likely to make changes during the summer, as he has been open about wanting to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Shayne Gostisbehere.