DETROIT, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Griffins picked up an experienced defenseman Sunday when the Detroit Red Wings assigned Jacob Bernard-Docker to their AHL affiliate after he went unclaimed on waivers.
Detroit put the 26-year-old on waivers Saturday as it tried to thin out a crowded group of defensemen. The recent trade for Andreas Englund had left the NHL club with nine, more than teams like to carry.
Bernard-Docker played 63 games for Detroit last season, scoring once with four assists. He signed a two-year extension in March that pays an average of $1.6 million a year, and he opened this season hurt and had not yet appeared in a game.
His arrival shores up a Griffins blue line that lost Anton Johansson and William Wallinder to promotions in Detroit. Because his contract is one-way, he keeps drawing his NHL salary while playing in Grand Rapids, and he figures to be the first call-up if Detroit’s defense is hit by injuries.
In Detroit, the freed-up place is expected to go to J.T. Compher. The center has been sidelined since an upper-body injury suffered Oct. 4.
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