Two defensemen found new homes off the waiver wire Saturday, with the Detroit Red Wings landing Andreas Englund from the Calgary Flames and the Nashville Predators taking William Trudeau from the New York Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman also said the other 59 players who were waived Friday went unclaimed, including Utah Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev. Tanev still has two seasons left on the three-year deal he signed with the club as a UFA in 2025.
Englund, 30, was on a one-year, two-way contract with Calgary after signing July 1. The 6’4″ left-shot defenseman dressed in one preseason game for the Flames before getting waived Friday, and now heads to Detroit, where the blue line could use another body if the club can’t reach an agreement with RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
He brings a long NHL resume with him. Englund has played 200 games across parts of eight seasons for the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, and Predators.
In that span, he has two goals, 20 points, and 190 penalty minutes. He also has one assist in five playoff games, all with the Kings in 2024.
Trudeau’s path looks different. The 23-year-old left-shot defender has yet to appear in an NHL game, despite spending the last four seasons with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before being traded to the Rangers in June. Montreal originally selected him in the fourth round, No. 113 overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft.
New York signed Trudeau to a one-year, two-way deal on July 6. In Nashville, he’ll now have a shot at a depth role and will likely be competing for minutes with Justin Barron, Adam Wilsby, and Ryan Ufko.
In Other News...
Flames Already Have A New Blue Line Question After Camp
The Red Wings added another layer to their blue line plans by claiming defenseman Andreas Englund off waivers from Calgary, giving them a veteran depth piece as camp moves into its final stretch. Englund, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Flames, but his time there ended quickly after he was outplayed in camp, and Detroit now gets a player with NHL experience across several teams at a position where extra bodies can matter.
For the Red Wings, the move fits into a broader defensive picture that still has one important unfinished piece. They are working to finalize a deal with restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson, and until that is settled, there is still some uncertainty about how the back end will line up when the roster takes shape for real. Englund does not change the headline as much as he adds insurance, but in September, that kind of insurance can be useful. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Roster Battle Just Got A Lot Tougher To Call
Mason Appleton has made himself part of one of the more interesting decisions lingering over Red Wings camp. His work in training camp and the preseason has stood out enough to keep him in the conversation, even as younger players push hard for jobs and the roster picture begins to take shape. Coach Todd McLellan has made it clear this is still a competition, and Appletons case is built on showing he can bring value in a crowded fight for spots.
The pressure is real because some of the younger players have already done enough to stick, while others are still trying to win over the coaching staff. Carter Mazur is among the names in that second group, and his situation helps explain why the final decisions are not so simple. For Appleton, the challenge is straightforward but unforgiving: keep performing well enough that the team has no choice but to keep him around. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Final Preseason Game Will Force Tough Roster Calls
The final preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is arriving at the right time for the Red Wings, because the roster picture is getting crowded in the areas that matter most. Detroit has already begun sorting through a group that includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Anton Johansson, Carter Mazur and Mason Appleton, while the goaltending tandem of John Gibson and Daniil Tarasov looks set heading into the regular season.
What remains unsettled is the kind of late-stage trimming that can reshape the back end of the roster and the forward mix all at once. The Red Wings still need to make more cuts to get under the required limits, and the final defense spot is part of the problem, with several young blue-liners still in the mix and at least one candidate working through an injury, leaving the front office with a few difficult decisions to settle before opening night. [Read more 🡒]