In the middle of this hectic time between the draft and free agency on July 1st, there will be a lot of moving pieces for every team in the NHL and AHL. Re-signing your captain, will be one of those pieces for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

On Tuesday morning, the Griffins announced the re-signing of forward Matt Ford to a two-year contract starting in the 2018-19 season. Serving as the captain last year for the Griffins, the 33-year-old winger was well-liked around the organization.

Ford has spent two years in Grand Rapids now, after touring around the AHL and trying to find a landing spot – it seems like Grand Rapids is a safe enough bet for him. Last season, he scored 22 goals and 38 points in 72 games for the Griffins, tying Matt Puempel for third in goal-scoring for the Griffins.

The California-native has yet to make his NHL debut, but he has been a surefire acquisition for the Grand Rapids Griffins so far. This is an AHL contract, so if he was to be brought up to the Red Wings due to injuries, the team would have to sign him to an NHL contract for the rest of the season.