The Detroit Red Wings just missed out on breaking their seven-year playoff drought last season, but there are quite a few reasons for optimism heading into the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. The Red Wings have a collection of talented young players at their disposal, which includes Swedish winger Jonatan Berggren.
Berggren gradually worked his way to the NHL with the Red Wings after being selected with the 33rd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, and he enjoyed a solid rookie campaign during the 2022-23 season (15 goals, 13 assists). He only managed to play in 12 games last year, though, which wasn't what Detroit was hoping for. However, that didn't stop the team from signing him a one-year, $875,000 contract extension on Monday afternoon.
Red Wings hoping Jonatan Berggren can bounce back in 2024-25 campaign
Despite the fact that he was the Red Wings Rookie of the Year for the 2022-23 season, Berggren spent most of the past campaign in the AHL. While he tore it up with the Grand Rapid Griffins, who are Detroit's AHL affiliate, it was a bit disappointing to see him play so sparingly in the pros after he put together an encouraging body of work as a rookie.
With this extension, though, the Red Wings seem to be indicating that Berggren is a part of their future plans. The young forward has a nose for the goal, and at just 24 years old, he still has a lot of room to grow. In an ideal world. he takes a big step forward this upcoming season now that this deal has been hammered out, but it's not as if he is running out of time to prove himself.
If Berggren can bring a scoring punch to Detroit as a bottom-six forward, chances are this deal will end up being a steal for the team. Berggren's talent has been evident since day one, and if he can begin to develop some consistency for the team, he could become a key piece for them as they attempt to find their way back into the postseason.
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