Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Drew Miller ended up being the expendable one.

The Detroit Wings put him on waivers Sunday to make room for the return of defenseman Niklas Kronwall.

Miller appeared in 34 games this season.

“Drew wants to play, so here is an opportunity potentially if there is another suitor out there,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “There are some young assets that we have here that I think there is still potential.

“With that said, I’ve got tons of confidence in Drew Miller as a hockey player.”

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The Wings also had the option of waiving little-used Tomas Jurco, but the decision indicates there is still some hope the 24-year-old second-rounder from 2011 can develop into an asset at the NHL level. He has played just 11 games this season, though, and isn't going to take a step forward just by practicing.

Miller, 33 next month, might appeal to another NHL team – he is a good skater, penalty killer and has five goals. If he clears, he can be sent to Grand Rapids and the Wings will gain $950,000 in salary cap relief against Miller’s cap hit of $1.025 million.

Miller has been with the Wings since they picked him off waivers in November of 2009. He was nearing the end of his stay, anyways, as the Wings need to make room for the likes of Tyler Bertuzzi.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.