Red Wings make highly anticipated roster change.

The Detroit Red Wings have made a highly anticipated move.

Late on Sunday night, the Red Wings officially announced that they were sending veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson down to the American Hockey League to join the Grand Rapids Griffins. Now that wasn't the move that everyone was anticipating, but was instead the precursor to it.

By making room on their roster the Red Wings freed up a spot to call up John Leonard from the AHL, a call up that was most definitely deserved. Despite not playing at all at the NHL level last season, Leonard has looked dominant in the AHL this year with 19 goals and 10 assists for 29 points in just 20 AHL games. That level of performance certainly warrants a call up to the NHL, even if it doesn't end up working out in the long run.

Leonard, a former 6th round pick (182nd overall) of the San Jose Sharks at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft does have 70 games of NHL experience but hasn't enjoyed a consistent stay at the NHL level since he played 44 games as a rookie for the Sharks during the 2020-21 NHL regular season. Leonard has bounced from the Sharks to the Nashville Predators and the Arizona Coyotes before eventually finding a spot within the Red Wings organization this season.

Fans have reacted positively to the news:

Now only time will tell if Leonard's game has improved enough since his last stint in the NHL to finally earn a consistent roster spot.