Detroit Red Wings Sign Ronnie Attard

Attard, 27, became an unrestricted free agent for just the second time in his career earlier this month. The 6’3″, 208-pound blueliner was also a UFA last summer after he was non-tendered by the Edmonton Oilers.

Originally a third-round pick by the Flyers at the 2019 draft, Attard excelled in both the USHL and NCAA. He quickly progressed to the NHL, making his debut for Philadelphia late in the 2021-22 season.

While Attard got the early looks in the NHL that come attached with signing as a high-end NCAA player, he’s since settled in as a quality AHL top-four defenseman rather than a full-time NHLer.

The Flyers dressed Attard for 15 NHL games immediately after they signed him to his ELC. In the following three full seasons Attard spent in Philadelphia, he only received 14 total NHL games.

At the AHL level, Attard has excelled – just as he has done at every other level he’s played at besides the NHL. He had a 12-goal, 32-point rookie campaign and followed that up with 10 goals and 27 points in 48 games during 2023-24.

During that time period, there was hope in Philadelphia that Attard might end up carving out a full-time NHL role as a solid two-way defenseman. That heightened expectation is reflected in the contract extension the Flyers gave him in July 2023, a two-year pact that contained a one-way structure with a $925K salary in its second year.

By the time Attard actually played out that second year of the contract, though, it became clear that any NHL future he might have wouldn’t happen in Philadelphia. The team traded him to the Oilers in early November 2024 for career AHLer Ben Gleason, whose own one-way contract was about $150K cheaper than Attard’s.

While Attard may have hoped he’d get a fresh look in the NHL with the Oilers, that didn’t happen. He spent his entire tenure with the team in the AHL, scoring 17 points in 59 games, the lowest point total in the AHL he’d posted to that point in his career.

In the offseason, the Oilers non-tendered Attard, paving the way for him to sign with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2025-26, Attard remained a full-time AHL player, scoring 17 points in 44 games.

Now a Red Wing, Attard faces a steep hill to climb as he chases additional NHL games. He joins a crowded blueline in Detroit, with numerous defensemen, including several ascending young prospects, jockeying for position on the team’s depth chart.