DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings could use some offense and hope that John Leonard can help, recalling him Sunday from the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Leonard is expected to be in the lineup Monday in Ottawa (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). He might even start on a line with Dylan Larkin and Marco Kasper. That’s where Elmer Soderblom skated Sunday in practice, but he might have been holding Leonard’s spot as coach Todd McLellan shuffled three lines.
Leonard ranks second in the AHL with 20 goals and has 32 points in 23 games.
He had two goals and two assists in seven games with the Red Wings from Dec. 16-28, replacing the injured Patrick Kane on the line with Andrew Copp and Alex DeBrincat. He was reassigned on Dec. 29.
“He’s a player that can play and help us,” McLellan said last week. “Things can happen with our roster. Injuries can occur. Players can play their way out of the lineup.
“We saw what we expected to see from him. He had some pace to his game. He was an offensive threat. He handled himself well on the power play. There aren’t negatives to his game.”