Zetterberg injured his back at the Olympics and has not played for the Red Wings since February 8th (final game before the break). Zetterberg was not expected to be back until the second round of the playoffs, but the Red Wings announced today that he could potentially return midway through the first round (if all goes well).
Zetterberg said he can not practice with contact for eight weeks, which would be April 21st. Zetty is still hoping to be back for the playoffs should the Red Wings get there.
Zetterberg has been out since the Olympics after undergoing back surgery on February 14th. “At around eight weeks he’ll be cleared for physical contact (approximately April 11),” GM Ken Holland said. “Before the end of the season he’ll be back skating, but I just don’t know when.” If the Red Wings mix of healthy regulars and Grand Rapids Griffins can get them to the playoffs, they should get a huge boost when their captain returns in the post-season.
It’s believed that Zetterberg will need eight weeks to recover, which means he could return during the first round of the playoffs, if the Red Wings qualify. Zetterberg, will be placed on long-term injured reserve. Zetterberg has been plagued by back issues for several years. He missed 11 games in December due to a slightly herniated disc. The issue caused him to sit out two more games in January. He played just one game for Sweden in the Olympics before withdrawing last Friday due to severe back pain, which he said was "20 times worse" than anything he'd ever experienced.
Zetterberg, the captain of Team Sweden, pulled out of the Sochi Games last Friday after suffering a herniated disk. The Wings return to action a week from Wednesday. Zetterberg most certainly won't be available -- he is to see a specialist as soon as possible to determine if surgery is needed now or can wait.
Zetterberg has been dealing with a herniated disk that bothered him in December, but is reportedly much worse this time around. Zetterberg says that he is unable to move around very much and will not play for the remainder of the tournament as a result. Patrik Berglund will now centre the top line with Marcus Johansson sliding onto the third line. Niklas Kronwall will take over as Team Sweden captain. This is another big blow to Sweden's lineup who have now lost Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Henrik Sedin.
Team Sweden's captain was in such poor shape today that he was not even able to join his teammates for a picture. "We have been familiar with it for some months. He has treatment in the U.S., but he started here without any symptoms, and I think now the symptoms that he has is according to the disk problem," said Team Sweden doctor Bjorn Waldeback. Waldeback did not rule out the possibility that Zetterberg will play Friday, when Sweden takes on Switzerland in the second game of group preliminary play. However, Sweden might opt to rest Zetterberg and have him available when the tournament enters elimination stage.
Zetterberg will enter the lineup while Dan Cleary will be a healthy scratch. Zetterberg has been out for the last two games but will return tonight on the top-line with Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader. He has 16 goals and 28 assists (44 points) with a plus-19 rating in 40 games this season.
Zetterberg missed the last two games with a back injury, but could return tomorrow after participating in Red Wings practice this morning.
Zetterberg skated this morning and centred the first line with Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader. He has missed the last two games but his presence at practice suggests that he could be available for Friday's game vs. the Capitals. Monitor his status during Friday's game-day skate.
Zetterberg is day-to-day with a sore back. He was a last-minute scratch from Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to Florida. By sitting out the Philly game, Zetterberg will get close to a week off before possibly playing Friday, when the Wings host Washington.
Zetterberg first injured his back this season when he suffered a slightly herniated disc Dec. 1 in Ottawa and he didn't return until Dec. 28. The Red Wings had a 3-6-2 record without their leader. Now, he's back on the shelf and general manager Ken Holland said he doesn't know if the latest ailment is the same thing that kept Zetterberg out of the lineup last month and that Zetterberg is day-to-day. But as coach Mike Babcock is fond of saying, day-to-day can often mean 10 days.
Zetterberg has been given numerous maintenance recently but was expected to suit up this afternoon. The returning Johan Franzen will skate in Zetty's place. He is listed as day-to-day.
He confirmed that skipping today's practice was just maintenance. Good news as he is expected to play a major offensive role given all of the Wings' injuries.
Zetterberg has missed the last 11 games having not played since December 1 vs. Florida. The Red Wings have really missed their captain going 3-6-2 without Zetty. He is expected to centre the second line with Daniel Alfredsson and Justin Abdelkader tomorrow.
Zetterberg will miss his ninth straight game tonight and will miss the next two games as well, but it sounds like he will be in the lineup on December 28 at Florida.
Zetterberg will miss his ninth consecutive game tonight, but appears to be progressing well towards a return. Zetty has skated on his own a couple of times, but joining his teammates is a great sign. The Red Wings are 1-5-2 without Zetterberg in the lineup, so his return is vital to their success.
Zetterberg must sit out a minimum of 10 games and 24 days on LTIR, which was inevitable since he isn't even skating yet. He is eligible to return on December 28 vs. Florida.
This is a huge hit to the Red Wings who are already without Pavel Datsyuk. Zetterberg had a tremendous start to the season, posting 11 goals, 19 assists (30 points) and a plus-12 rating in 28 games. The Red Wings will need their young talent to step up in the absence of their two best forwards.
Zetterberg missed two games at the start of April because of a groin issue. We will get an injury update following practice.
