Red Wings send Nunavut’s Jordin Tootoo to the minors

Jordin Tootoo on a boat trip near Qikiqtarjuaq this past July while on a promotional tour for the Canadian North airline. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavut has just lost its only representative in the National Hockey League.

Jordin Tootoo, 30, has been relegated from the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL to their minor league team affiliate team, the Grand Rapid Griffins.

After clearing waivers Nov. 7, there had been wide speculation that Tootoo would be sent to the AHL.

That’s now happened, as the Detroit Red Wings’ official website has scratched his famous number 22 off its roster.

On the Griffins’ website, Tootoo is listed as number 22.

Red Wings’ coach Mike Babcock said the reason Tootoo had been ousted from the team’s starting roster in the first place is because there are too many right-wingers on the team.

With Tootoo falling to the minors, the Red Wings have now freed up almost $1 million in cap space.

The Grand Rapid Griffins’ next game is at home in Michigan Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. against the Rockford Ice Hogs.

MLive.com — a Michigan based news outlet — said Tootoo will suit up and play in that game.

It had been Tootoo’s second season with the Red Wings after being traded there by his former team, the Nashville Predators.

This ends a streak of eight consecutive years in the NHL for Tootoo. The last time he played in the AHL was the 2004-2005 season for the Milwaukee Admirals.

That year he played 59 games and recorded 22 points.

The Detroit Free Press reported the Red Wings’ tried to trade Tootoo recently.

But teams have not been interested in trading anything more than a draft pick for Tootoo, the Free Press reported.

Tootoo has played 50 regular season games with the Red Wings since signing with them for the 2012-13 season.

But he played only eight games with the Red Wings this season and in just one playoff game with Detroit last season.

Over the past two seasons, Tootoo has only eight points — three goals and five assists. Tootoo also notched 78 penalty minutes during his stint with Detroit.