MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses the strong Michigan connections on the Red Wings’ roster, which may or may not be coincidental, especially after Ann Arbor’s Auston Watson has been invited to training camp on a Pro Try-Out:
“Honestly, it’s not part of the plan,” general manager Steve Yzerman said after free agency on July 4. “But we get into free agency … players indicate they’d be interested in coming back. I’ve been here five years and over the course of those years I’ve heard from agents that a player would really love to come back, but on these terms.
“Sometimes those terms work for us and sometimes they don’t. I think it’s only natural you see the kids, whether they’re Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa or Detroit (natives), they grew up in the city or their favorite team is the team in the city they grew up in and they’d love to play at home.”
The Red Wings have five Michigan natives: Dylan Larkin (Waterford), Alex DeBrincat (Farmington Hills), Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor), Jeff Petry (Ann Arbor) and Tyler Motte (St. Clair). That’s in addition to J.T. Compher, an Illinois native who played at Michigan.
Continued (paywall, sorry)
