The Red Wings have activated winger Klim Kostin from injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s game against the Maple Leafs, per a team announcement. The 24-year-old missed 11 games across nearly a month with an upper-body injury.
While he’s eligible to play Sunday, it’s unclear if he actually will. The offseason trade addition from the Oilers has decidedly settled into 13th-forward status for the Wings, recording two goals and one assist in 23 games this season while averaging a paltry 8:40 per game.
It’s less of a role than the Wings expected Kostin to play after inking him to a two-year, $4M contract extension hours before free agency opened last July 1. Both his production and usage had declined from last year’s career-best season with the Oilers when the 2017 first-round pick finally showed the true effectiveness of his power-forward game with 11 goals, 21 points, and 66 PIMs in 57 games. He kept it going with a decent showing in the Oilers’ two-round playoff run, notching five points in 12 appearances.
Detroit has lacked the even-strength possession game necessary to be a playoff lock, and poor play from two out of their three goalies in Ville Husso and James Reimer hasn’t helped. They remain within striking distance of a berth, though, and Hockey Reference still tabs them with a 47% chance to make the postseason.
It’s hard to imagine Kostin working his way back into a regular role down the stretch after the in-season addition of Patrick Kane, though. Detroit’s fourth-line wingers are currently Robby Fabbri and Daniel Sprong, both of whom have double-digit goal totals this season and are producing over 0.6 points per game. Depth scoring has been the team’s biggest strength this season, something Kostin’s limited usage and lack of production diminishes.
Kostin is slated to be an RFA with arbitration rights when his current deal expires in 2025.
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