Brad Lambert is back on waivers, and that alone makes him a name worth watching for the Detroit Red Wings.
Just four years ago, Lambert was viewed as a potential top-five pick. Instead, he kept sliding and ended up going 30th overall to the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Now, at 22, he’s in a spot that looks very different from the one many expected when he was drafted.
Elliotte Friedman reported this morning that Lambert is being sent to the AHL again so Winnipeg can make room for a Manitoba Moose player. Lambert was listed as cleared on waivers November 3, 2026.
The numbers in Winnipeg haven’t been kind this season. Lambert has just one point in 11 games with the Jets. But there’s still a reason to think another team could see something worth betting on.
Detroit, in particular, makes some sense. Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff has had plenty of chances to see Lambert during his time running the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Moose and Griffins are both in the Central Division, and Lambert has been productive against that level of competition. In 159 games with the Moose, he has 103 points.
The NHL side of the ledger is much thinner. Lambert has nine points - three goals and nine assists - in 42 career NHL games.
Still, his ice time has been limited. He’s averaged 10:33 per night over his career, and that number has dipped to 9:10 this season.
That’s not much runway for a young forward trying to show what he can do.
A change of scenery could matter here. Sam Bennett’s path is the example the source points to: in Calgary, he looked like a depth piece, but in Florida he found another gear and became a force, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy just two seasons ago.
Lambert is not being sold as that kind of sure thing. But the idea is simple enough: if Detroit thinks there’s a player in there, a new system and a different opportunity might unlock him. The Red Wings are still short at center, and if Lambert develops, he could become a useful depth option down the line.
If it works, the Wings get a forward. If it doesn’t, they can waive him and move on.
That makes this a low-risk, moderate-reward claim.
It would also be Detroit’s second waiver pickup of the season, after Andreas Englund from the Calgary Flames.
Even so, the Red Wings have plenty on their plate. They need to sort out the return of Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton, they may have to clear space if Dylan Larkin is traded for roster players, and there’s still the matter of an unsigned defenseman hanging over the roster, too.
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