Red Wings sign forward John Leonard to one-year contract

The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward John Leonard, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.

Leonard, 26, spent the entire 2024-25 season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, scoring 36 goals and 61 points in 72 games. He added eight goals and 14 points in 18 playoff games during Charlotte’s run to the Calder Cup Final.

According to the club press release, Leonard’s new one-year deal with the Red Wings carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit.

A sixth-round pick (No. 182 overall) of the San Jose Sharks in 2018, Leonard made his NHL debut with the Sharks in the 2020-21 season after the conclusion of a strong three-year NCAA career at UMass-Amherst.

Leonard skated in a career-high 44 games with the Sharks in 2020-21, scoring three goals and 13 points. But the 5’11” winger has only appeared in 26 more NHL games over parts of three seasons since, splitting that time between the Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Arizona Coyotes.

Through 70 career NHL games with San Jose, Nashville, and Arizona, Leonard has collected six goals and 17 points. His younger brother, Ryan, is a top prospect for the Washington Capitals who was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Red Wings have been reasonably active in the days leading up to unrestricted free agency, acquiring goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, re-signing Patrick Kane, and trading Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild. But they’ve largely operated on the fringes on July 1, signing Leonard, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and veteran winger James van Riemsdyk.

After making the playoffs in 25 consecutive seasons (and winning the Stanley Cup four times during that span), the Red Wings have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2016. They finished sixth in the Atlantic Division with 86 points in the 2024-25 season.