Red Wings Cut Roster to 23, Officially Salary Cap Compliant

This afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings announced their final round of roster cuts to officially become compliant with the salary cap heading into opening night of the 2024-25 season. Though that meets the NHL’s deadline of 5 pm today for becoming cap compliant, it does not mean that roster is locked in place heading into the season opener Thursday.

Oct 4, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Players stand during the Canadian national anthem before the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena<p><button class= — Oct 4, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Players stand during the Canadian national anthem before the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena

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In fact, the last member of the 23, Austin Watson, has already been waived for the purpose of sending him down to Grand Rapids, fresh off earning a two-way contract off the PTO he arrived on. The move is effectively a maneuver by the Red Wings to engage in a bit of “cap accrual.” My colleague Connor Earegood did an excellent job explaining that concept in detail this afternoon, but in brief, because cap hits are not actually annual but rather accumulate over the course of the season, the Red Wings can save money against the cap by minimizing the time Watson spends on the NHL roster.

To winnow the roster down to 23 players in accordance with NHL regulations, Detroit sent Justin Holl, Sheldon Dries, Joe Snively, William Lagesson and Brogan Rafferty down to the Grand Rapids Griffins. None of that came as a surprise, because it had been previewed when that cohort was placed on waivers yesterday.

Of that group, Holl is clearly the most significant cut, and for him too, the idea of cap accrual is pertinent. He was signed to a three-year contract before that season, so to be in this position is something of an admission of an error in free agent judgment. However, to return to “cap accrual,” it’s worth noting that Holl was present at Red Wings practice today (rather than en route to Grand Rapids), suggesting perhaps another paper transaction for purposes of maximizing cap space.

Entering the pre-season, the only questions around Detroit’s roster were marginal. However, Marco Kasper did make . With Kasper, Watson, and Holl, Derek Lalonde’s reminder that Grand Rapids is a phone call and two-and-a-half hour drive away rings true. The Red Wings don’t need any of those three to play Thursday night, and any could be made immediately available should injury necessitate it.