During a media briefing on Friday, Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde announced that forward Tyler Motte is currently out of the lineup while being assessed for an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Motte appeared to sustain the injury in the first period of Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers when he collided awkwardly with Ranger defenseman Victor Mancini while pursuing a puck. It seemed he jolted his head during this incident, causing him to briefly lie on the ice and halt the game. However, he was able to return to the bench afterward. Lalonde did not clarify the nature of Motte’s injury.
Despite the injury, Motte played for 9:33 over 12 shifts, ending the game with a -1 plus/minus in a 5-2 defeat. The team has reportedly filled his roster spot by calling up top prospect Marco Kasper from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, under emergency conditions.
This season marks Motte’s first with his home state team. The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract worth $800,000 but has yet to score in four games, recording a -2 rating and averaging 11:17 of ice time per game.
Motte has had a varied career, previously spending parts of five seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and also playing for the Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round, 121st overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft, but played only part of one season with them before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017 in a deal that sent Brandon Saad back to Chicago, along with Artemi Panarin.
In his NHL career of 404 games, Motte has scored 49 goals and 41 assists for a total of 90 points, along with eight points in 44 playoff games.
