I was starting to wonder if the Red Wings would bother to officially announce the jersey numbers of their summer free agents since the offseason is much later than last year, but today they did just that via social media.
New numbers have just come out! ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/fL9xyYKJuz
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) 16 August 2024
In my opinion, there are no real surprises here and most of them are in line with my predictions from early July.
The big question seemed to be what number Vladimir Tarasenko would choose, and he chooses the number 11 that I predicted.
That Erik Gustafsson would take number 56, Tyler Motte number 14, Sheldon Dries number 15, and Joe Snively number 21 was pretty obvious (and was also among my predictions) since the players usually wore those numbers and all were available. Likewise, Cam Talbot’s choice of number 39 was an obvious choice since he was unlikely to get Sebastian Cossa’s number 33.
It seemed likely to me that William Lagesson would take number 84, but that number is so “out there” that you never know which way it will go. That’s why I couldn’t predict that Tory Dello would take number 87; his usual numbers weren’t in the running, so I had no way of knowing which way he would go with it.
I expected Jack Campbell to take either number 31 or 32, and he took number 32. I had mentioned in my Development Camp jersey number recap that I thought Carter Mazur might switch from number 32 to number 43 this season, and Campbell taking number 32 confirms that for me.
Speaking of development camp, Jakub Rychlovsky already wore number 81 there, so it’s no surprise to see him listed with that number here.
The biggest surprise for me comes from Mazur.
When the Wings announced their new numbers last year, they included existing players who were traded even if they weren’t expected to make Detroit’s roster. Mazur moved from 43rd to 32nd, Jared McIsaac moved from 41st to 15th (with Shayne Gostisbehere moving to 41st), and Jonatan Berggren moved from 52nd to 48th (with 48th being vacant after Givani Smith left).
This year, Mazur will clearly need a new number (as will Tim Gettinger, whose No. 39 went to Talbot), but no move has been announced. As I said above (and elsewhere), I expect Mazur to move back to No. 43, but I find it interesting that this hasn’t been confirmed. Likewise, I expect Gettinger to take No. 26, but it looks like we won’t know for sure until training camp.
As for other knock-on effects, only prospects are affected. Gustafsson takes number 56, meaning Brennan Ali may need a new number in his next training camp. Kienan Draper has to move to his fifth number with the organization, Tarasenko takes number 11. Jack Phelan has to trade, Dello takes number 87. Finally, Griffins newcomer Hunter Johannes needs a different number, as Snively takes number 21.
That being said, it drives me crazy when the Red Wings use radially curved lettering in their promotional graphics (similar to the Detroit Tigers) rather than the vertically curved lettering that actually appears on the Wings’ jerseys. /nitpick
