Red Wings sign veteran winger Alex Chiasson to AHL tryout

Veteran winger Alex Chiasson is no stranger to going through tryouts to get a contract. It’s a process he has gone through a couple of times in the NHL already. Now, he’ll attempt to convert a tryout in the minors into a full contract as AHL Grand Rapids, the affiliate of the Red Wings, announced that they’ve signed the 32-year-old to a PTO agreement.

Chiasson played with Vancouver last season after spending the previous three years with Edmonton. He had to go through training camp on a tryout but received a full deal and gave the Canucks a reasonable return on their investment. He notched 13 goals and nine assists in 67 games while being particularly strong on the power play with six of his goals (plus four helpers) coming with the man advantage. However, he wasn’t able to secure a guaranteed deal with anyone over the summer and went to training camp with Arizona on a PTO, one that proved unsuccessful.

Now, he’ll look to catch on with Detroit the long way, starting out in the minors and hoping for a promotion from there. Chiasson is a veteran of 631 career NHL contests over parts of 10 seasons. With the Red Wings having four forwards on injured reserve, there are spots that could be available both with them and with the Griffins. It’s a nice no-risk pickup for Detroit, which should get some help in the minors at a minimum and, if all goes well, a possible recall option in the coming weeks.