Red Wings acquire forward Adam Erne from Lightning for 2020 pick
Ted Kulfan
Detroit — General manager Steve Yzerman went to his former employer to make his first trade with the Red Wings.
The Wings acquired forward Adam Erne from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday for a 2020 fourth-round pick, adding to the Wings' depth up front.
Erne, 24, had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) and 159 hits in 65 games in Tampa last season, while playing just over 10 minutes per game on the talent-rich, deep Lightning roster.
Erne, a native of Connecticut who played in the Quebec junior league, is a 6-foot-1, 214-pound left wing. He is an unsigned restricted free agent who made $800,000 last season, and was phased out this summer because of the Lightning's salary cap crunch.
A former second-round pick of Tampa in 2013, Erne was considered by many scouts a first-round talent who somehow fell to the Lightning in the second round.
Erne’s offense has yet to develop at the NHL level, but he was a prolific offensive player in the Quebec junior league, and can play an agitating brand of hockey when needed.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan