Detroit Red Wings: Michael Rasmussen likely to miss remainder of season

The Detroit Red Wings have changed things quite a bit over the past few days. One of the things to follow coming into the week was an update on Michael Rasmussen to see if he was going to be able to get back on the ice or what the verdict was.

For the Detroit Red Wings, it’s not good news. It may have been expected with how Rasmussen left the ice, but he is unlikely to return to it in 2022-23. It was not officially announced that he is out for the season, but he was formally moved to the Injured Reserve on Thursday.

On top of this move, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said that it was doubtful to see Rasmussen again in 2022-23 due to him taking that shot off the kneecap against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lalonde mentions he remains week-to-week, but it seems highly improbable that he will return in 2022-23 based on a quick read of this MLive piece from Ansar Khan.

While the gears have shifted on the Red Wings season, and they ultimately sold off their assets this deadline season with Filip Hronek being dealt to Vancouver and Tyler Bertuzzi sent to Boston, it’s a tough loss to see Rasmussen out the rest of the season.

Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen is likely done for the season.

While the initial update on Rasmussen was bleak, prompting thoughts that he might be done for the season, it seems more concrete. Nothing was posted by the Red Wings, but during Thursday night’s telecast in the overtime loss to the Kraken, they did mention Rasmussen.

Bally Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson noted that Rasmussen is out for the season and used that exact phrasing. Again, nothing is official from the Red Wings, but all signs point to Rasmussen’s knee injury being a season-ending one for the team’s forward.

It sucks for Rasmussen to have his season cut short after he started to settle in with the Red Wings. He was emerging as a scorer and was finding success in all facets of his game, excelling on both ends of the ice.

Even with things trending downward for the Red Wings, it’s tough to see Rasmussen have a season cut short where he started to figure things out and come into his own. In 56 games played for the Red Wings this season, Rasmussen had ten goals and 19 assists for 29 total points.

He set a career-high in points and was well on his way to setting a high in goals as long as he scored six more before the end of the season. It’s a tough blow, as things could get ugly down the home stretch.

It likely means more opportunities for players like Filip Zadina to stick in the lineup or Jalkub Vrana to get involved, but missing Rasmussen will hurt.