In seeking to make the 2023-24 Detroit Red Wings more competitive, general manager Steve Yzerman made a low-key signing that addressed their toughness — with, potentially, a dash of offense.
Christian Fischer is 6 feet 2, 212 pounds and shoots right; he adds size to the lineup, but he’s not the type whose physicality leads to penalties that hurt his own team.
“His role as a right winger was something of need, a little bit bigger guy,” Yzerman said after signing Fischer for one year, $1.25 million in July. “I won’t speak for Derek ( Lalonde), but at times he likes a big matchup line, a defensive line, and Christian helps on the right side. Christian is a real good checker, straight up and down right winger.”
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Yzerman signed Fischer, 26, on the second day of free agency. Fischer is coming off a solid season with the Arizona Coyotes, posting 13 goals and 14 assists in 80 games. He’s a veteran of 398 career NHL games, all with the Coyotes, who drafted him in the second round, No. 32 overall, in 2015. He has 56 goals, 55 assists and 99 penalty minutes in six-plus seasons, along with a minus-60 rating that’s more reflective of how much the franchise has struggled than Fischer’s commitment to a two-way game.
“It’s very cliché to say, but I value playing the D side of the puck,” Fischer said. “Over my years in Arizona, I’ve really solidified a role of playing a lot, and for the last three to four years, I was taking every D-zone draw with our team’s top line. I was PK-ing as one of the first guys out the front door. I’d like to say I do a lot of those dirty things. They’re not goals and assists, but everyone knows that’s how you win hockey games.”
Fischer, though, sees potential for growth with a team that has added numerous players, such as Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher, to a growing core.
“I know I have potential to score a lot of goals in this league,” Fischer said. “Obviously, if you’re not playing power play or top-six minutes, you’re not scoring 30 goals. I think I’m more confident to be around the 15-goal mark most every year. That being said, be relied on defensively, playing some hard minutes, some greasy minutes and obviously the PK as well. I love grinding it out there with the boys.”
Fischer was part of what has turned out to be a pretty significant makeover of the Wings. Yzerman had to address the holes left when he traded Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana and Filip Hronek at the trade deadline, but beyond that, Yzerman sought to address the lack of toughness the Wings showed in back-to-back embarrassments at Ottawa in late February, just ahead of the deadline. Fischer should help in that regard, as should fellow newcomer Klim Kostin, a 6-3, 215-pound forward acquired via trade at the draft. (Yzerman’s assessment at the time: “Kostin is a big winger, plays hard. We were looking to add some of that.”)
Between the pair, the Wings have big wingers they can play on a skilled line when needed.
Fischer is from Chicago, and came up through the U.S. National Team Development Program, which is how he knows Dylan Larkin. After two years with the national team, Fischer continued his junior career with the Windsor Spitfires, where he posted 90 points in 66 games in 2015-16 and got to know Wings assistant coach Bob Boughner, a former Spitfires coach. Fischer also knows Wings assistant coach Jay Varady from their overlapping time in Arizona.
“I have a personal relationship with both of them,” Fischer said. “I know they’re not going to cookie-cutter it for me. They’re going to tell me exactly what they’re looking for and why they wanted me and why they thought I’d be a good fit.
“It feels right here. I know (Larkin) pretty well through the USA program. (Shayne) Gostisbehere is a close friend of mine. I know the (Andrew) Copp family well. I’m familiar with Detroit and know how well the organization is run from top down.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.