The Red Wings make a surprising cut to one of their players on PTO
Photo credit: Belle Fraser-The Hockey News
The Detroit Red Wings have decided to say goodbye to Alex Chiasson who was on a PTO with them during training camp.
These days, the waiver wire is full of surprises, and veteran players are finding themselves at a crossroads in their careers. One of those happens to be Alex Chiasson, who recently accepted a professional tryout offer with the Detroit Red Wings. Coming off of a full year away from professional hockey, Chiasson was looking to get back into the game of hockey with the same team he took the ice with last during the 2022-23 season. Things have taken a different turn for the 34-year-old winger.
Well, earlier today, the Red Wings officially announced that they had let Chiasson loose from his PTO. Certainly, this experienced forward will find himself in a tough spot as he tries to find a new team willing to take a chance on him. With the pre-season coming to a close, each day counts as Chiasson's hope of landing an NHL contract shrinks more and more.
Chiasson played three games for Detroit in the short preseason, averaging over 13 minutes of ice time per game, but did not record a point, which could factor into the decision. The lack of production in those pre-season games stands in contrast to his earlier performances in the NHL, sparking questions about his current form.
Recalling Chiasson's last NHL season with the Red Wings, he proved to be worth at least something on the powerplay. In 20 games with them, he had nine points, six of which were goals, proving he could still be a threat in front of the net. A man known for scoring goals throughout his career, Chiasson has 234 career points, well over half of them being goals, with 120. The best offensive season for him was 2018-19 with the Edmonton Oilers, where he netted 22 goals, proving he can find the back of the net.
Being cut late in preseason, Alex Chiasson has very few options to keep his career going. Very rarely does a player pick up another PTO this close to the season getting underway, let alone after having been released. If no NHL teams step forward, Chiasson might be forced to look toward European leagues as a way to try and extend his career and remain productive on the ice.
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