Red Wings Place Forward Samuelsson on Waivers

The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Mikael Samuelsson on waivers on Saturday, paving the way for Johan Franzen’s return from injury in Sunday’s matchup with the Florida Panthers.

Sameulsson is not expected to be claimed and will be assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins upon clearing. He has been a healthy scratch in 25 games this season

The move would open up a roster spot for Franzen, who has missed the past 15 games with a concussion. It would not, however, clear much salary cap space, as only $100,000 of Samuelsson’s $3 million cap hit would be saved by assigning him to the Griffins.

The Red Wings won’t face a salary cap crunch until Stephen Weiss returns from long-term injured reserve, expected to happen after the Olympic break.