Mattias Ritola of Red Wings Claimed By Tampa Bay Lightning Off Waivers

Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman said he had no plans to poach from the Detroit Red Wings as he began assembling his management and player personnel over the summer.

True to his word (of course, he's Steve Yzerman), he hasn't, but that doesn't mean he won't use his inside knowledge to make a few key acquisitions when he has the chance.

The Detroit Red Wings put forward Mattias Ritola on waivers Monday after he failed to adequately impress in training camp and the exhibition season.

Long considered one of the top prospects in the organization, Ritola, 23, was supposed to challenge if not beat out veterans such as Drew Miller and Patrick Eaves for a fourth-line spot with the Wings this season.

However, the Red Wings decided to go with Miller, who had a very strong camp, over the younger, but promising Ritola.

Yzerman's decision to pick up Ritola should work out well for both sides.

In Ritola, Tampa Bay is getting a promising, yet developing, winger who has the potential to turn into a solid set-up man. 

By going to Tampa Bay, Ritola will likely have a better shot of playing more meaningful minutes than he would in Detroit, even if he had made the roster out of camp.

While letting young talent walk isn't easy, even for a veteran-heavy team like Detroit, there are several other young prospects in Detroit's system such as Tomas Tatar and Cory Emmerton who will go a long way towards ensuring the depth of talent in Detroit isn't likely to dry up any time soon.