As we alluded to in our Red Wings season preview, Detroit desperately needs their best players to remain healthy this season. Unfortunately, they are already off to a terrible start.
The Red Wings announced today that Pavel Datsyuk has suffered a second-degree shoulder separation. Datsyuk’s injury will likely keep the prized center out of action for 4-5 weeks. This means Datsyuk will miss the remainder of the preseason, as well the majority of regular season games throughout October.
Datsyuk was injured during the teams first preseason game on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was injured after a hard check into the boards from Pittsburgh’s Rob Scuderi. Before the injury, Datsyuk had picked up an assist and a goal, helping to lead his team to a 2-1 victory.
Early signs are indicating this season might not be much different from last season in terms of broken Wings. The Datsyuk report comes less than a week after learning that their number one prospect, Anthony Mantha, has been sidelined with a fractured tibia. Mantha, who was seen as having a shot at making the Red Wings out of training camp, will miss 6-8 weeks of action. When he returns, he will likely head straight to the Red Wings affiliate in Grand Rapids instead. However, if the injury troubles continue to pile up, Mantha could return to Detroit.
The Red Wings continue their preseason on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. They begin the regular season at home on October 9th against the Boston Bruins.