UPDATE! – Datsyuk will play Tuesday

Nov. 10, 2:18 p.m – After missing the last seven games with a head/concussion, Pavel Datsyuk will return to the Red Wings lineup tonight in Florida. The Red Wings played terribly on Saturday vs. the Panthers, but the addition of Datsyuk should be enough to get the W tonight. They remain without Henrik Zetterberg so Datsyuk will centre the top line with Johan Franzen on one wing and Todd Bertuzzi on the other.

Nov. 7, 12:00 p.m – Datsyuk took part in the Red Wings optional skate this morning and has been medically cleared to play on Tuesday. He will miss he Red Wings game against the Panthers tonight but is expected to return to the lineup in Florida on Tuesday.

Nov. 4, 12:10 p.m – Datsyuk said he is symptom-free now and just needs a few practices to get into game shape. – Per Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive)

Datsyuk went from very doubtful for this weekend’s games, to there is some hope that he could play. There is no telling if he will be good-to-go for Friday’s game at New Jersey or Saturday vs. Florida. Monitor his status throughout the week and into the weekend, if he continues to progress he could play.

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Red Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock is going to have to do some serious line juggling as he will be without his two best players likely through the weekend.

Detroit General Manager Ken Holland announced today that they will be without Henrik Zetterberg for at least two weeks because of a small herniated disc. They have already been without Pavel Datsyuk for the last four games due to a head/concussion issue.

Datsyuk did not practice this morning, which suggests he will not play this week after Holland said he would need a good week of practice before he returns to the lineup. The Red Wings do catch a small break with what looks to be a somewhat soft schedule over the next week. They will face the Flyers on Wednesday and then the Devils and Panthers twice in the next seven days – those three teams combine for a 30-40-12 record and rank 26th (NJ), 27th (FLA) and 28th (PHI) in offence.

Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points in 28 games, which has him tied for fifth in NHL scoring. Datsyuk has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 24 games. It is going to be hard to replace their point-per-game production, but Detroit does have some young talent who are playing well right now – Darren Helm has six goals in his last eight games / Gustav Nyquist has four goals and one assist in six games / Tomas Tatar has one goal and five assists in his last nine games. Those players will need to continue to play well and veterans Johan Franzen, Daniel Alfredsson and Niklas Kronwall have to take their play to another level and step into a greater leadership role with their captain and assistant captain out.