As much as the Detroit Red Wings (and their fan base) dislikes the Ottawa Senators, their division rival, there have been no issues with collecting some of their former players.
The Wings already have Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex DeBrincat, Tyler Motte, and Cam Talbot lined up for this season, and now they’ve added another. According to his agency, former Senators tough guy Austin Watson has agreed to a professional tryout with his hometown Detroit Red Wings.
Since parting ways with Ottawa after the 2022-23 season, it’s the second summer in a row where Watson has settled on a PTO. It worked out well last fall as the tough guy won a job in Tampa Bay, getting a basic one-year contract. However, he was often a healthy scratch, and sometimes an unhealthy one, spending some time on injured reserve.
Watson’s stat line was two goals and two assists, and despite playing in just 33 games, he finished 16th in the NHL with 93 penalty minutes.
Just like DeBrincat before him, Watson gets a chance to return home where it all began. Watson grew up in Ann Arbor, playing AAA with Compuware, and was not only a highly-touted prospect through his teen years, he was a highly-decorated one, winning two Memorial Cups and an OHL Playoff MVP award.
But in the NHL, like a lot of junior stars, Watson was forced to settle in as a grinder and a fringe player. If the home cooking serves him well and the 32-year-old makes the team, that’s exactly the role he’ll be asked to fill again in Detroit.
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