The Red Wings are expected to recall forward Zach Aston-Reese from AHL Grand Rapids ahead of Saturday’s matinee game against the Panthers. Per Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside , Aston-Reese departed midway through Grand Rapids’ morning skate today and is returning to Detroit to join the team.
An illness making its way through the Detroit room kept forwards Austin Czarnik and Patrick Kane out of last night’s game against the Hurricanes. It didn’t end well for Detroit, who was forced to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their absence and lost 4-0 to Carolina, dropping their playoff chances to 15.6%, per MoneyPuck .
Recalling Aston-Reese allows the Wings to return to a typical 12-6 alignment against Florida tomorrow as they enter must-win territory for every game down the stretch. They’re two points back of the Capitals for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but have one less game remaining.
Aston-Reese, 29, has only logged one NHL game this season, playing 6:21 against the Stars in a loss on Dec. 11 while recording two hits. Once a highly regarded shutdown fourth-liner with the Penguins, ZAR is on his third team since Pittsburgh traded him to the Ducks at the 2022 trade deadline as part of the package for top-six scoring winger Rickard Rakell .
He’s had to settle for attending training camp on PTOs in two straight seasons. Last year’s with Toronto was successful, parlaying it into a one-year deal that saw him score 10 goals in 77 games, but a drop-off in his possession impacts and decreased usage (his 10:56 ATOI was a career low) lowered his value when he reached free agency again last summer. The Hurricanes decided to give him a chance on a tryout but ended up cutting him loose. He then signed a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$300K/$350K) with the Wings just before the campaign began and promptly cleared waivers.
In his first extended AHL action since the 2017-18 season, Aston-Reese has been decent in a middle-six checking role, posting 13 goals and 28 points in 56 games. However, it hasn’t been enough for Detroit to give him an extended look back in the majors, especially as they’ve remained relatively healthy up front this season.
Aston-Reese has been recalled three times this season, all lasting less than a week. This is his first summons to the NHL roster since being assigned to Grand Rapids on Jan. 7.