Red Wings Extend Bernard-Docker

· Yahoo Sports

The post Red Wings Extend Bernard-Docker appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Visit palladian.co.za for more information.

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 04: Detroit Red Wings D Jacob Bernard-Docker (25) chases the puck into the zone during the NHL preseason game between Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings on October 4, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire)

When the Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker as an unrestricted free agent last summer, an NHL scout told Detroit Hockey Now that they had gotten themselves a steal.

After watching him perform steadily for the team this season, evidently, the Red Wings agree with that assessment.

The Red Wings have signed Bernard-Docker to a two-year contract extension. The deal comes with an AAV of $1.6 million.

Skating mostly in the third pairing with Albert Johansson, Bernard-Docker has proven to be a steady if unspectacular presence for the team. With just four assists through 55 games, Bernard-Docker, 25, doesn’t add much to the team’s attack, but that’s not his role with the club.

“Just being hard to play against, being annoying and kind of always on guys and trying to be physical when I can,” Bernard-Docker listed as his objective when he’s on the ice.

The right-shot defender is all about shutting down the other team. His plus-five rating trails only the top pairing of Moritz Seider (+21) and Simon Edvinsson (+11) among the Detroit rearguard.

He’s ninth in hits (58) and sixth in blocked shots (83). Bernard-Docker’s blocked shots per 60 minutes of 6.03 is third on the club.

“I’m willing to block shots,” Bernard-Docker said. “I think I’m pretty good with my stick.”

Red Wings Like Bernard-Docker’s Versatility


Red Wings coach Todd McLellan appreciates the versatility that Bernard-Docker brings to his defensive corps. When injuries have sidelined Edvinsson this season, Bernard-Docker has proven able to jump and play on his offside alongside in the top tandem.

“I think of Bernard Docker, “McLellan said. “We’ve had him on the left, we’ve had him on the right. His minutes go up. We’ve asked him to play on his offside, and that’s not easy to do.”

By extending Bernard-Docker, the Red Wings are growing fairly set in terms of defensemen for next season. Seider is signed through the 2029-30 season. Ben Chiarot was also recently extended through the 2028-29 season. Both Justin Faulk and Johansson are under contract for next season. Axel Sandin-Pellikka will be entering the second year of his three-year entry-level pact.

Only Edvinsson, a restricted free agent as of July 1, will need to be signed to a new deal.

The post Red Wings Extend Bernard-Docker appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Read full story at source