NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers took note of some injury updates from coach Todd McLellan this afternoon:
Patrick Kane could return to the lineup when the Red Wings visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. Kane, who was placed on injured reserve last week and will not play against the Calgary Flames on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, FDSNDET), has missed four games because of an upper-body injury.
“Kaner’s getting close, yes,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said Saturday. “There’s a chance he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow, but this skate’s important for his progress.”
The forward who last played in a 2-1 overtime loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 21, has 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 42 games this season.
“He’s obviously one of our most skilled guys, controls the play a lot, really sets up our offense and our power play,” Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat said. “When he’s in the lineup he takes some load off other guys and when he has been out other guys have stepped up. The power play is still ticking a little bit. But he’s definitely a bit piece of our team. We prefer him to be in the lineup for sure.”
Detroit will remain without forward J.T. Compher for the foreseeable future. Compher has missed two games because of an upper-body injury. He has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 48 games this season.
“He’s likely a little further down the road from what I’ve been told, but I’m just worried about the guys that can play,” McLellan said. — Aaron Vickers
