Red Wings sign veteran Austin Watson to Training Camp PTO

The Detroit Red Wings have signed veteran forward Austin Watson to a player tryout (PTO) just ahead of training camp. Watson is a veteran of 10 NHL seasons, including stops with the Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Watson was the 18th overall pick of the Predators in the 2010 NHL Draft. He is a 6-foot-4 and 205-pound left-winger who plays his off-wing. Last season for the Lightning, he scored two goals and two assists for four points and 93 penalty minutes in 33 games.

For his career, he has 60 goals and 58 assists for 118 points and 705 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he has 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points and 48 penalty minutes in 45 games.

While some may not see the value of this signing, he does have value, even as a 32-year-old. He has several attributes the Detroit roster does not have. Size (6-foot-4 and 205 pounds), toughness (93 penalty minutes last season), he is a productive fourth-liner and penalty killer, and he is from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Austin Watson is going to the Detroit Red Wings on a PTO

While the Red Wings have not officially announced their 2024 training camp roster, there may be more players signed to PTO's.

This is a chance for unsigned players to earn a roster spot and showcase their skills. While there may be a couple of roster spots open at forward for Detroit, Watson does bring a physical style to the Red Wings that they lacked last season.

He does have a chance to grab a spot based on his style of play, but there are few spots available that have to be earned. He is coming into a situation that involves hungry young players that are on the doorstep and he must outplay them to grab a spot.

He would serve the Red Wings well and is exactly what they need in their lineup and could see time on a penalty kill that struggled last season.

Watson had primarily played in the bottom six during his tenure in the NHL. His role is quite defined as a player who can stick up for his teammates while playing a physical style, but he can also provide offense. His skill set is applied to the penalty kill as he has used that time to sharpen his defensive skills.

Detroit needs someone to protect the roster they will march out on Opening Night. While nobody on the current roster can play a physical style consistently. this is what Watson lives for.

His style not only applies to fighting but also but for the play along the boards and in front of the net, which is crucial in the playoffs.