BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dylan Larkin's gear was stowed into the locker next to Jonatan Berggren's at KeyBank Center, but the Detroit Red Wings will be without their captain at least through the weekend.

There's nothing Berggren can do about that, but he can do something about taking advantage of the opportunity Larkin's absence has created. If Berggren can toe the line between risk and reward in favor of the latter, he stands to stick around.

"We are hoping he is going to help us down the stretch here," coach Derek Lalonde said after Tuesday's morning skate at KeyBank Center. "If he will, maybe he’s our deadline addition."

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It was the availability of players such as Berggren, a second-round pick from 2018, that helped persuade general manager Steve Yzerman to stand pat at Friday's trade deadline. Why use draft capital or a player to add a newcomer when Berggren was only a phone call away? The 23-year-old has 46 points in 43 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins while working on the defensive side of his game.

More work in that area is still needed, as he gifted the Vegas Golden Knights a goal off a turnover, which, as Lalonde put it, "we have enough of that in our DNA, we don’t need to add one more.

"Like anyone else, we want to hold him accountable. It’s something we address when we have video with the team and individual one-on-ones. Because we have a lot of guys that want to make plays, sometimes at the risk of the team game. We still want him to make plays, like all of our skilled (players), but do it in the correct way."

Berggren already had appeared in nine games with the Wings this season before being called up on March 9. Last season, he posted 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games. He was pencilled into the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres on a line with Joe Veleno and Lucas Raymond, which would make it 78 career NHL games for the Swede. Once he reaches 80, he's no longer waiver exempt, which would mean he's up for good.

The Wings play three more games the rest of the week, and Lalonde ruled out a possible early return for Larkin.

"I’m hoping once we get through the week in here, I’ll have a better feel," Lalonde said. "I’m hoping it will be day-to-day once we get through the weekend."

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That means the opportunity is there for Berggren.

"I just have to play my game, like I play all year down in GR," Berggren said. "Have high confidence, and make plays and work hard. In this league, you need to be a little bit more safe. Around the blue line, maybe take it deep and when you are around the net, maybe make those plays instead of the blue line.  It’s something you need to balance in my game and something I need to (learn). I know how hard I need to battle every day."

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Accountability key to Jonatan Berggren sticking with Detroit Red Wings