Detroit Red Wings: Mike Green Out Longer than Originally Expected
By Bob Heyrman
When the Detroit Red Wings open the season tomorrow evening hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets, they will be without many of their regular defensemen.
Word has started to circulate that Mike Green will be out for the first month or so of the season. Green is recovering from a virus that attacked his liver just prior to the start of the Detroit Red Wings preseason.
They are saying it is a mono-like virus, but not mono. So take that information and register it as you wish. Anytime you hear that someone is battling fatigue one of the first things that comes to mind is mono. Sometimes it takes quite some time to feel normal again and gain back your old strength and drive.
In addition to Green being out, Niklas Kronwall has been downgraded to out for tomorrow nights game. The report on Kronwall is a “tweak.” I hope it isn’t the knee that has hobbled Kronwall for some time. If it is indeed that knee, it will be shaping up to be a long season for the Detroit Red Wings leader.
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Jonathan Ericsson is banged up with what Jeff Blashill is calling an “upper body injury” and is being labeled by his head coach as “very questionable” to play Thursday. The big Swede started to practice yesterday but was unable to finish. It doesn’t bode well for his availability tomorrow night.
There was a little bit of good news for the Detroit Red Wings defense core, Trevor Daley returned to practice and didn’t suffer any setbacks. Daley looks good to go Thursday night. I would expect the Detroit Red Wings to split up Daley and DeKeyser with the three other veteran defensemen all out.
Dennis Cholowski was skating with DeKeyser yesterday, and Libor Sulak was with Daley. The Wings sent Joe Hicketts and Filip Hronek down to get to the 23 man roster but one or both according to Ansar Khan of Mlive.com will be recalled before tomorrows game because of all the injuries.
Hronek may be the choice because of his ability to run the power play. Cholowski will be able to run one group, but Kronwall was expected to run the other. Hronek by default should get the nod. That leaves Nick Jensen or Joe Hicketts to start opening night with Hronek as the third pairing.
Next. Mike Green will miss the start of the season. dark
It will be interesting to watch the young group of defenders tomorrow night in a none preseason setting. Dennis Cholowski who has been fantastic throughout camp will start the regular season against the oppositions best forward group. It will be interesting to see how he matches up under the bright lights.