Aaron Downey cleared waivers, Saturday. The forward was exposed to waivers to give the team the ability to make roster moves quickly if needed. Downey will stay with the Wings (he practiced today in Chicago) and is available to play and on the roster. The waivers more or less make him pre-approved to be moved if necessary in the next 30 days or 10 games.
The Red Wings play five games in the next nine days. Two days must pass for a player to clear waivers, so there was the possibility that an injury could have caused problems. If a goalie had gotten hurt, there wouldn't have been time for a player to clear waivers and be sent down to make room for another player to come to Detroit. The Red Wings are at the roster maximum of 23 players.
As usual, Downey was the ultimate teammate when asked about being put on waivers ...
"I've been on waivers before, hoping someone would pick me up. This time, I was hoping someone wouldn't. Such a great group of guys here. I love being a Red Wings.
"I've been living in the moment for 13 years now. The game's not new to me, the role I play. When I first started (in the East Coast league), I was on 24-hour contracts. I'll just take this day and enjoy it, be thankful that I've got a job.
"The Lord willing, they'll keep me here all year."
Coach Mike Babcock ...
"We want him to be a part of our organization.
"You have to be able to replace people. If you have an injury … we just felt we had to do this."