The Detroit Red Wings announced three roster moves on Thursday ahead of their game against the Vancouver Canucks.
To begin, J.T. Compher has been activated off the injured reserve list.
Compher has been sidelined since October 4 with an undisclosed injury, and the Red Wings expect to get a significant boost with him back.
Detroit also recalled goaltender Michal Postava from the Grand Rapid Griffins under "emergency conditions". The details surrounding that move have not been reported.
Forward Sheldon Dries was also assigned to Grand Rapids.
Given that the Red Wings forward group has been suffering from several injuries, it will be nice to have Compher back on the ice.
Detroit Red Wings left wing J.T. Compher Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Compher has not been able to play since the beginning of October, but recently has been seen back at practice, which indicated his return was coming.
It is now official.
Head coach Todd McLellan will have another experienced option down the middle, but the team will still have to compete without Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton.
Detroit has repeatedly had to call on younger forwards and depth players already this season due to injuries. Everyone will be glad to have Compher back on the ice.
Detroit Red Wings goalie John Gibson Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There are questions surrounding the team announcement Thursday that will likely be answered shortly, but for now leave everyone wondering what has happened.
Detroit announced that 24-year-old goaltender, Postava, was being moved from Grand Rapids under emergency conditions, but gave no other details about why that was necessary.
Postava has been a strong performer so far this season in Grand Rapids, but the move is interesting as Detroit already has John Gibson and Daniil Tarasov on the NHL roster.
Daniil Tarasov was the goaltender for Tuesday night's game against the Kraken and seemed to finish the matchup healthy.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries to either Gibson or Tarasov, so it is way too early to make any assumptions about this recall pointing to a larger problem. The situation is just worth monitoring.
For now, the only thing to report is that Detroit gained a little more depth at goaltender, and they have now restored an important veteran to the lineup.
The emergency situation is worth monitoring but it could be for a variety of reasons. The Red Wings will just be glad to have some depth back and continue on to the second game of their four-game road trip.
The team will take the ice Thursday evening at 10 p.m. ET to challenge the Vancouver Canucks. Detroit is coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday and hope to rebound with some extra weight at the forward position.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/red-wings/onsi as Red Wings Get Much-Needed Boost as J.T. Compher Returns From Injured Reserve .
