The Detroit Red Wings will be without the services of offseason addition, defenseman Mike Green, for "up to" the next three weeks as a result of Green sustaining what the team has termed an "upper body injury" after this crushing hit behind the Detroit net from Calgary Flames forward Josh Jooris. Ansar Khan of MLive.com reported Monday that Green will miss the next two to three weeks as a result of the injury.
Green, despite his offensive pedigree, has been a limited contributor for the Red Wings to start the 2015-16 NHL season. As Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports' Puck Daddy notes, Green has just one assist through the Red Wings' first seven games, despite seeing 19:37 of ice time per night, along with an average of 2:29 on the power play.
Green's struggles were obviously not lost on new Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, who moved Green up to the top pairing alongside Niklas Kronwall, likely with the expectation that it would finally jumpstart his production. But with the injury, Green faces yet another setback at the start of his Detroit tenure and yet another stretch of time away from the ice during his NHL career.
This marks the eighth season in a row that Green will have failed to appear in a full 82-game slate. And while that can be a difficult feat for any NHL player and there's every chance Green returns in three weeks' time and plays up to expectation, Green's injury woes combined with his increasing age and slight frame should be a cause for concern for the entire Red Wings organization.
