Numbers Game 2009: Bertuzzi and the Prospects

Two things have come up since my look at possible Red Wing sweater numbers for the 2009-10 season on Sunday, the Wings signed Todd Bertuzzi and the team’s prospect tournamant roster was announced on Red Wings Central.

If the roster on the Red Wings’ newly-redesigned web site is to be believed, Bertuzzi will be wearing #44 for Detroit this season. He’s also listed as wearing #7 on his player profile page (which he wore last season in Calgary and is retired in Detroit) so that might not be a trustworthy source.

Should Bertuzzi indeed be wearing #44, Patrick Eaves will be searching for a new number and the #9 and #7 he’s previously worn are unavailable. Should Bertuzzi leave the #44 to Eaves, the #4 he wore in Anaheim is an option (though I personally think #4 is not a forward’s number, no matter what Jean Beliveau and Vincent Lecavalier say) as is the #27 he wore with the Vancouver Canucks while Dave Babych had #44.

At the prospect tournament three players will be wearing new numbers for the Red Wings.

Francis Pare will be switching from the #57 he wore when he was invited as a Grand Rapids Griffin last season to #59. Travis Erhardt moves from the #63 he wore as a free-agent try out last fall to #45. Brian Lashoff, who was also a free-agent last year, moves from #65 to #49.

Of course the number a player wears as a prospect isn’t always tied to what they’ll wear should they make the big club. Tomas Kopecky wore #27, #44 and #32 before finally breaking into the league wearing #28 (and switching to #82 for his sophomore season).