| Detroit Free Press
Jeff Blashill breaks down Red Wings’ second scrimmage
Jeff Blashill interview, Jan. 8. 2021.
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
A week into training camp, the Detroit Red Wings added to their defensive depth.
They claimed Christian Djoos off waivers Saturday. Djoos, 26, has appeared in 116 NHL games, most recently for the Anaheim Ducks. He played nine games for them in 2019-20.
Djoos (6-foot, 180 pounds) was drafted in the seventh round, at 195th, in 2012 by the Washington Capitals. He played 63 games for them in 2017-18.
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He could fit as a taxi-squad piece for the Wings. General manager Steve Yzerman added veteran defenseman Marc Staal via trade in September, and used free agency to sign Troy Stecher and Jon Merrill.
Those three, together with Danny DeKeyser, Filip Hronek and Patrik Nemeth, form the main defense corps. Dennis Cholowski, a first-round pick from 2016, is trying to claim a spot, but if he isn’t in the Wings’ lineup, the Wings would prefer he play in Grand Rapids.
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Djoos is on a one-year, $1 million deal and will be a restricted free agent upon expiry. He is the son of former NHL defenseman Per Djoos, who was drafted by the Wings in the seventh round in 1986 and who played 26 games for the Wings in 1990-91.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.