Much of the attention Tuesday when the Red Wings played in Anaheim was on the return of Tyler Bertuzzi to the lineup.
But it was also the season debut of defenseman Jake Walman.
Because of offseason shoulder surgery, Walman hadn’t yet been cleared for game action until the start of West Coast road swing for the Wings.
“Pretty good,” Walman told reporters of how he felt afterward. “It was good to get back in the flow of things. It felt pretty good to get back in.”
Walman played 13 minutes, 29 seconds and was credited with two hits and one blocked shot, while being paired with Jordan Oesterle.
And if it took a while to figure out where Walman was on the ice, or were looking for No. 8, Walman’s number from last season, it likely took you a while to locate him.
Walman has switched to No. 96.
Yes, Tomas Holmstrom’s old number.
Walman talked about the switch earlier this season.
“It’s pretty simple,” Walman said. “It’s my birth year. It’s a cool look. Hopefully it can bring me some swag. The guys like it.”
Holmstrom was one of the Wings’ most popular players during the Wings’ Stanley Cup runs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and no player had asked for the jersey number until Walman.
At first, Walman was a bit sheepish about asking for 96.
“I searched who wore it before and it slipped my mind for a second,” said Walman, of Holmstrom wearing the number. “I asked around and made sure I can wear it. I didn’t want anyone to get angry. I hope I can represent it well.”
Holmstrom and Walman are the only two players who’ve worn 96 with the Wings.
Sorry about that
Montreal rookie forward Juraj Slafkovsky reached out to Wings forward Matt Luff regarding Slafkovsky’s boarding penalty last week that put Luff in a dangerous position.
Luff suffered a fractured wrist, needed surgery, is out for two-to-three months.
Slafkovsky, last summer’s No. 1 overall draft pick, was given a two-game suspension by the NHL.
“I reached out to him,” Slafkovsky told Montreal reporters. “It sucks what happened with him and (the) injury. He texted back and said thanks for reaching out. That’s all I can do after that incident. I cannot change what happened.”
Luff made a favorable impression on the coaching staff in his seven games since being recalled from Grand Rapids, scoring one goal and infusing some size and energy into the lineup.
Welcome back, Bob
Thursday’s game in San Jose was the first for assistant coach Bob Boughner, since Boughner was let go as head coach of the Sharks.
Coach Derek Lalonde quickly added Boughner to the Wings’ staff, noting Boughner’s coaching experience and playing career.
Boughner was a 1989 second-round draft pick of the Red Wings.
“Just as someone who has been around the league so much as a player and as a coach, he’s that guy who can be that voice where it’s done this way or that way,” Lalonde told reporters in San Jose. “I’ve had this experience a couple times with a couple other coaches my time in the NHL.
“He’s just a huge resource not only for myself, but the rest of the staff.”
Boughner, 51, coached the Sharks for parts of three seasons, with a 67-85-23 record. The Sharks missed the playoffs all three seasons. Boughner coached the Florida Panthers for two seasons, after replacing the fired Pete DeBoer early in the 2019-20 season.
Ice chips
Evgeny Svechnikov, the Wings’ 2015 first-round pick, could be finding a home in San Jose. Svechnikov has three goals and three assists in 14 games, with an impressive plus-five plus-minus rating. Svechnikov spent last season in Winnipeg, where he had seven goals and 19 points in 72 games with the Jets, after the Wings parted ways with him.
… Thursday’s game was the 500th of Andrew Copp‘s career.
… Minor league affiliate Grand Rapids lost its game Wednesday, 5-1, to Rockford, but the good news was the return of defenseman Simon Edvinsson, the Wings’ top prospect, who had missed three games with a non-COVID illness. Edvinson has eight points (one goal, seven assists), the most among rookie American League defensemen.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan