Detroit Red Wings Recall Dylan McIlrath From Grand Rapids Griffins
By Tyler Samson
On March 24th, the Detroit Red Wings called Dylan McIlrath up from the Grand Rapids Griffins and sent Libor Sulak down to the Griffins.
The Detroit Red Wings have announced they have recalled 26-year-old defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the Grand Rapids Griffins and have sent Libor Sulak down to the AHL. At 6’5” and 236 pounds, McIlrath will add size to their blue line towards the final handful games left in the 2018-19 season.
It seems the Red Wings are calling players up from the AHL in efforts to get them playing experience at the NHL level so they know what to work on as well as give them a chance to showcase their skill.
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With players like Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley underperforming, players like McIlrath have a chance to show that they are NHL ready and can compete for a starting job.
This will not be his first rodeo in the NHL as he has played 43 NHL games (38 games with the Rangers and five with the Panthers), scoring three goals, tallying on two assists and racking up 94 penalty minutes. ‘
It should be clear to see with his penalty minutes, that McIlrath is a physical defenseman who will not tolerate letting his teammates getting pushed around, thus the reason why he is an alternate captain for the Griffins.
His physicality will be crucial as the Wings coast through the final few games because teams will likely try to take advantage of a younger and somewhat beaten up Wings team.
McIlrath is basically swapping roles with Libor Sulak. Sulak has played six NHL games in his career (all six were played this season with Detroit) and has yet to register a point. The 25-year-old defenseman seems a step behind when he plays and needs to work on his speed to compete competitively at the NHL level.
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Although calling up McIlrath is not a big move by any means, it is still a move that will serve as beneficial for future reference. If he plays physical and is able to acquire some points, he may have a crack at playing in Detroit next season.