Watson was assigned to AHL Grand Rapids on Tuesday.
Watson being returned to the minors is likely an indication that Christian Fischer (upper body) is nearing a return. Watson registered two hits and two PIM in 4:54 of ice time in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Rangers.
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Red Wings' Austin Watson: Set to play Monday
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Watson will be in action versus the Rangers on Monday once he's officially recalled from AHL Grand Rapids, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports
Watson figures to jump into a bottom-six role while Christian Fischer (upper body) is sidelined. In two minor-league games for the Griffins this year, the veteran Watson has generated three assists, seven PIM and a plus-3 rating. Once Fischer is given the all-clear, Watson will almost certainly be returned to the minors.
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Red Wings' Austin Watson: Placed on waivers
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Watson was placed on waivers by the Red Wings on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Watson signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings on Monday, but he'll be waived with the intention of assignment to AHL Grand Rapids if he goes unclaimed. However, the 32-year-old has made at least 33 regular-season NHL appearances in each of the last nine seasons, and he's a strong candidate to be called up if the Red Wings need additional depth at some point.
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Red Wings' Austin Watson: Lands two-way contract
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Watson signed a one-year, two-way contract with Detroit on Monday.
Watson attended Detroit's training camp on a professional tryout before earning his two-way agreement. He produced two goals, two assists, 93 PIM and 85 hits across 33 regular-season contests with Tampa Bay in 2023-24. Watson will serve as a depth forward for the Red Wings, but he might carve out a role on the fourth line as the season progresses.
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Red Wings' Austin Watson: Receives tryout offer from Detroit
Rotowire
Watson signed a professional tryout agreement with the Red Wings on Wednesday, per his agency.
Watson will enter training camp on a tryout for a second year in a row. Last season, he turned his tryout into a one-year deal with the Lightning and proceeded to post just four points, along with 85 hits and 93 PIM, in 33 regular-season games. He'll likely have to settle for a fourth-line role if the Red Wings end up offering him a full deal.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Free agency looms
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Watson will be a free agent this offseason.
Watson played in just 33 games this season, scoring two goals and adding two assists. He did put up 93 PIM and 85 hits, but mustered only 17 shots while averaging 7:16 of ice time per game. Watson didn't ink his one-year deal with the Bolts until October, and that doesn't bode well for 2024-25 given his performance. Over his career, he has played in 515 regular-season games and recorded 60 goals, 58 assists, 705 PIM and 1,209 hits.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Struggling to get out of press box
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Watson has played in just two of Tampa Bay's last 17 games.
Watson returned from a lower-body injury Feb. 8 against the Islanders, picking up one shot and three hits in 8:29 of ice time. Since then, he has struggled to find his way into the lineup, dressing against the Panthers on Feb. 17 and versus the Flyers on March 9. With the Bolts playing to retain a wild-card spot, Watson may be hard-pressed to see the game from ice level down the stretch.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Taken off IR
Rotowire
Watson (lower body) has been activated off injured reserve, per the NHL media site.
Watson has missed the team's last four contests due to his lower-body issue but seems to be at least healthy enough to be an option versus the Islanders on Thursday. If the 32-year-old winger does suit up, it would likely be in a bottom-six role that would see Mitchell Chaffee relegated to the press box or even shipped back to the minors.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Moves to injured reserve
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Watson (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per CapFriendly.
Watson was deemed week-to-week as of Tuesday, so his placement on IR makes sense. It's unlikely he'll be back before the All-Star break. Mitchell Chaffee was called up from AHL Syracuse to take Watson's spot on the roster.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Scratched all too often
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Watson has been a healthy scratch in six of the Lightning's last eight games.
Watson has played just 17 games this season, and he has one goal to show for it. He does have 45 hits in that span, though, and he sometimes lays out four or five, in the games he does play. But that's not enough to make him roster worthy in fantasy circles.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Piles up penalty minutes
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Watson racked up 26 PIM in Friday's 8-2 win against the Hurricanes.
Watson didn't score any points, but he was very busy. He was whistled for slashing and abuse of officials in the second period. He also picked up a pair of roughing minors and a game misconduct in the third period. Watson has one goal, 43 PIM and 23 hits over 10 appearances this season.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Still no points this season
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Watson still hasn't found the scoresheet through seven appearances this season.
He logged just 6:46 of ice time in Saturday's 6-4 win over Edmonton, getting seven PIM. Watson is struggling to get meaningful ice in Tampa Bay. He has skated in just seven of the team's 18 games, and his time has ranged from a high of 8:55 to a low of 3:30. Watson is on the downside of his NHL career.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Inks one-year deal
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Watson signed a one-year, $776,665 contract with Tampa Bay on Monday.
Watson managed to land a contract with the Lightning after attending training camp with the team on a professional tryout agreement. In 75 games with Ottawa last season, he generated nine goals, 11 points, 123 PIM and 165 hits. He will provide some physicality in a fourth-line role with Tampa Bay this campaign, when he gets the opportunity to play.
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Lightning's Austin Watson: Links up with Tampa on PTO
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Watson (lower body) signed a professional tryout agreement with the Lightning on Wednesday, per CapFriendly.
Watson was reportedly looking for a multi-year deal this offseason, but he'll have to settle for a camp invitation. The 31-year-old forward is a strong bottom-six option with penalty-killing skills, and there's a good chance he could receive a contract from the Lightning to bolster their fourth line before the 2023-24 season gets underway.
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Senators' Austin Watson: Not playing Saturday
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Watson (lower body) will not play Saturday versus Tampa Bay, Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen reports.
Watson was injured Thursday versus the Panthers. He has nine goals, two assists, 123 PIM and 165 hits in 75 games this season. Watson will be replaced on the fourth line by Julien Gauthier.
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Senators' Austin Watson: Exits with lower-body injury
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Watson (lower body) won't finish Thursday's game versus the Panthers.
Watson was hurt in the second period, though it's unclear when the injury occurred. If he can't play Saturday versus the Lightning, Dylan Gambrell or Julien Gauthier could enter the lineup.
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Senators' Austin Watson: Lights lamp twice against Detroit
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Watson scored two goals, one a short-handed game-winner, in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Red Wings.
Both tallies came back-to-back in the first period, breaking open a 1-1 tie and sending the Senators toward a rout. Watson has three goals in his last three games but hadn't found the scoresheet at all in his prior 15, and the fourth-line grinder's main fantasy value still comes from his physical play -- through 56 contests on the season, he has 72 PIM and 132 hits to go along with his seven goals and nine points.
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Senators' Austin Watson: Set to play
Rotowire
Watson (illness) is expected to return to action Sunday against St. Louis, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.
Watson has supplied six points, 52 shots on goal, 109 hits and 56 PIM in 50 games this season. He is projected to play alongside Parker Kelly and Dylan Gambrell after sitting out Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to Chicago.
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Senators' Austin Watson: Game-time decision
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Watson (illness) will be a game-time decision Sunday against St. Louis, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.
Watson is expected to take part in pregame warmups before a decision on his status is made. Still, it seems probable that he will return after missing Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago because Tyler Motte will be scratched Sunday for trade-related reasons. If Watson can't play, Dillon Heatherington could suit up as the seventh defenseman.
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Senators' Austin Watson: Out with illness
Rotowire
Watson (illness) will not be in the lineup versus Chicago on Friday, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.
Watson's spot in the lineup is expected to be taken by Derick Brassard, who was a healthy scratch Tuesday. Watson has four goals and six points in 50 games this season. Consider him day-to-day after Friday's tilt.
