Look At All The Transactions!

The Red Wings were pretty active on Monday. Oh, no. I don’t mean the Avalanche game. That was a goddamn nightmare. But, a lot of moves were made in a twenty-four hour period:

:: Chris Osgood will require surgery on his nagging groin injury in Philadelphia today. He’s been given the prognosis of “six to eight weeks,” which I’m learning is just hockey talk for “I don’t fucking know. Not soon.” It isn’t good timing for Osgood, who was playing very well before not being able to go this past weekend. Apparently his groin has been giving him some trouble all year — not just when he was on the shelf — and his tear was bad enough that he could no longer handle the pain. I may poke fun at the man, but I tell you one thing I know for sure: if he pulled himself out of that start on Saturday… his groin is fucking hurt.

:: Accordingly, Joey MacDonald was called up to Detroit, to take over the back-up goalie role until Osgood is able to return. @OnTheWings and I were wondering on Twitter if Thomas McCollum would get a look at the NHL level, even though he’s been struggling in Grand Rapids (and was actually in Toledo at the time of the Osgood news — he’s since been returned to Grand Rapids). It looks like MacDonald will be in Detroit until March or April — as Ken Holland assured the masses that the Wings will not be looking for a goaltender (or anyone else) via trade or the waiver wire.

:: To make space on the roster for MacDonald, Pavel Datsyuk was put on short-term IR. I think that’s a paperwork move since it’s just a matter of time before Osgood is on long-term IR (also, Datsyuk will be ready to return before MacDonald’s services are no longer needed). All short-term IR means is that a player must miss a week, which is more than enough time to get the Osgood paperwork squared away.

:: Valtteri Filppula was able to return to the lineup on Tuesday night, clearing feeling better in the crotchal area. It’s good to have a regular return to the lineup, as opposed to vacating it — as has been the norm.

:: Since bodies should be returning to the lineup, Tomas Tatar’s services were no longer need, and he was returned to Grand Rapids following the Avalanche game. I’m a little bit surprised that Tatar is going back down before Mursak — but at the same time, I’m not. It’s the Red Wings way to give the necessary looks to guys that have to be up on the big club next year, like Mursak does. But, all things equal (they’re not), Tomas Tatar seems like the more NHL-ready player. Mursak rewarded Ken Holland for the decision with his first NHL goal last night.

EXPECTED BACK IN LATE JANUARY / EARLY FEBRUARY
Pavel Datsyuk
Dan Cleary

NOT EXPECTED BACK BEFORE MARCH
Mike Modano
Brad Stuart
Chris Osgood

CURRENT RED WINGS ROSTER
Franzen — Zetterberg — Holmstrom
Hudler — Filppula — Bertuzzi
Draper — Helm — Eaves
Miller — Abdelkader — Mursak

Lidstrom — Kronwall
Rafalski — Ericsson
Kindl — Salei

Howard
MacDonald

NO HEALTHY SCRATCHES