When the Red Wings traded for Adam Erne in August of 2019, it didn’t grab many headlines. Erne was a depth player for the Tampa Bay Lightning and had only played 114 NHL games. Red Wings fans, however, viewed the deal with optimism. After all, he was drafted in 2013 by then Tampa Bay General Manager Steve Yzerman, now at the helm of the Red Wings. Yzerman was very familiar with the forward and knew what he was getting. Erne’s first season with Detroit, though, was nothing short of disastrous.
Erne went his first 27 games without scoring a point. His first and only two goals of the season were scored in one game against Columbus in December, and he was healthy scratched for nearly 30 games. Fans were ready to write Erne off; he’d spend the upcoming 2020-21 season as a depth forward and probably wouldn’t be qualified in the offseason, making him a free agent.
Despite this, Erne went into the 2020-21 season in Detroit’s lineup as a part of the fourth line. He played the first two games of the season, went pointless, and was scratched for the Red Wings series against Chicago and Dallas. He found himself back in the lineup versus Tampa Bay, however, he still couldn’t shake his bad luck, going scoreless in the next five games. Finally, in his eighth game, Erne potted a goal. He followed that up with an assist the next night. After those seven scoreless games, Erne now has 9 goals and 5 assists in 27 games since. He’s been red hot as of late, with four goals in his last eight games. With those 9 goals, he now sits second on the team in that department, behind Robby Fabbri and Anthony Mantha, who both have 10.
After some bumps and bruises, Erne has finally carved out a role for himself on the team. Playing now on the fourth line with Luke Glendening and Darren Helm, he’s been an excellent forechecker, and has used his skill in tight to score some well-earned goals in front of the net. He’s also been an asset on the power play, leading the team with three goals on the man advantage. Known for his size and physicality, Erne has been able to use both to his advantage to win puck and board battles, allowing Detroit possession in their offensive zone.
Although Adam Erne may never be a top-six winger, he’s found his place amongst the Red Wings’ bottom six, and has helped stabilize a group of forwards who previously struggled to provide depth scoring. Erne has become the picture-perfect version of a bottom-six forward: one who forechecks effectively, retrieves the puck, and is able to make offensive plays to wear out the other team in their zone. At just the price of a fourth round pick, he’s finally become the player Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings’ traded for, and may be a part of their future plans after all.
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