The Detroit Red Wings added another young forward to the organization Thursday, acquiring Sutter Muzzatti from the Nashville Predators for future considerations and immediately signing him to a two-year entry-level contract.
This is not the kind of trade that reshapes Detroit’s NHL lineup in August. It is the kind worth making when the cost is minimal and the player brings size, production and a little Michigan flavor to the prospect pool.
Muzzatti, 23, is an Okemos native who spent the 2025-26 season at Notre Dame after three years at RPI. The 6-foot-6 forward played all 37 games for the Fighting Irish and finished second on the team with 32 points, including 13 goals and 19 assists. He also won 50.9 percent of his faceoffs, according to Notre Dame’s official player bio.
At 6-foot-6, Detroit shouldn’t have much trouble finding him at training camp.
Nashville selected Muzzatti in the fifth round, No. 143 overall, of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Predators’ official recap of that draft class lists him as a center out of RPI, where he eventually totaled 50 points across 78 games before transferring to Notre Dame.
There’s another local connection. Muzzatti’s father, Jason, played goaltender at Michigan State before appearing in 62 NHL games during a lengthy professional career.
For Detroit, this looks like an organizational-depth bet rather than an NHL roster move. Muzzatti has yet to play a professional regular-season game, so the logical path begins with competing in camp and trying to establish himself with Grand Rapids.
The Wings have spent much of the offseason adding competition deeper in the organization. They previously signed 23-year-old forward Chase Stillman to a one-year deal, while players such as Michael Brandsegg-Nygard are already pushing closer to full-time NHL consideration.
Muzzatti belongs in a different category for now. He is older than many traditional prospects and will need to prove his college production translates to the professional game. But a big, left-shot Michigan forward coming off his best NCAA season is a perfectly reasonable lottery ticket when the acquisition price is future considerations.
Not every August transaction needs fireworks. Sometimes you just add a 6-foot-6 kid who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in college and see what happens.
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