Ericsson has bone bruise, Janik called up

Well, it could have been much worse. In fact, watching the video (and the freeze frame, thanks to @mserven), I would have bet dollars to donuts that it was Kronwall-esque or longer. All this does is add to Ericsson’s lore: first, missing only one game following an emergency appendectomy, followed by many more quick recoveries. Clearly, Jonathan Ericsson is a descendant of Chuck Norris. Anyway, the official word is deep bone bruise on his left knee, reaching to his calf muscle. Tests revealed no structural damage, and the general consensus seems to be 2-3 weeks that Big Rig will be out of action.

In somewhat-related news, former Red Wing Aaron Ward was placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday. He cleared at noon today, but some out there are questioning whether he’d be a good fit back on this roster. I gotta say no, because at some point these bodies are going to start coming back, and this is why you sign NHL-level guys to play in Grand Rapids.

Speaking of which, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tells us it’ll be Doug Janik — and not Jakub Kindl — that has been recalled to replace Ericsson on the active roster. It makes sense for a few reasons: Janik plays the penalty kill, like Ericsson. And Johnny isn’t allowed anywhere near the power play, which is Kindl’s forte.

Darren Helm is recovering nicely, and may be back in on Thursday, though I gotta say if he doesn’t score on his first shift, he’ll have to endure comparisons to The Most Fascinating Man on the Planet: Kris Newbury (not really).