Red Wings Extend Bernard-Docker

The Detroit Red Wings announced the signing of defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday evening.

UPDATE: The #RedWings have signed Jacob Bernard-Docker to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $1.6M. pic.twitter.com/FPlAjNMrv0

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 25, 2026

Bernard-Docker has been serviceable on the Red Wings third pair for much of the season but the move still surprises me a little. I expected something like a one-year deal for a bit over $1 million if the Wings were to extend JBD. I’m not against a two-year deal and I don’t think the extra cap hit is going to be an issue but I’m not sure he’s earned it.

That said, the free agent market this summer is expected to be relatively awful so there’s some benefit to locking in a known quantity.

Erik Gustafsson’s buried contract comes off the books this summer. Justin Abdelkader’s buyout finally comes off the books. Travis Hamonic’s contract comes off the books. An extra half-million for Bernard-Docker isn’t the end of the world.