Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Red Wings to Rest Zetterberg's Back

The Detroit Red Wings announced on Tuesday morning that their captain, Henrik Zetterberg, will be sitting out for at least the next couple of weeks, as he deals with a herniated disc in his back.  The recovery of this injury sounds like it is going to be more precautionary, than dire need.  It is certainly much easier to work without one of your best players in the early part of the season, instead of dealing with something more serious down the road, like the fight for a playoff spot or being in the playoffs already.

Zetterberg has been more than good for the Red Wings this year, as he has been able to really keep the team on his shoulders and do it all every night.  In 28 games played, the Swedish captain has 11 goals and 19 assists, scoring at better than a point-per-game at the moment and he currently ranks 13th in pool scoring, after Monday night.

Zetterberg will leave a tough void to fill for the Red Wings over the next stretch, there is no doubt about that, but their depth should be able to keep their heads above water and remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

There was no immediate word that they are placing Zetterberg on the Injured Reserve, but they have called up Cory Emmerton to take his place, so the designation sounds like it is only a matter of time away.

ImplicationsTalk about a tough break for Tony D. in the pool (which will only get worse with the post above this one), as his team had started to climb over the last five or six weeks.  After Week Four, his team was ranked 21st in the standings and at the time of this injury, it was up to 13th, only 10 points out of the top 10.  No question, Zetterberg was a big part of that lift up the standings.  Zetterberg is Tony's best player through nine weeks, so a bit of a free fall may occur with the loss.

No comments: