Wings try to temper expectations for Franzen's return to lineup

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The points-starved Detroit Red Wings aren?t expecting power forward Johan Franzen to be their savior when he returns to the lineup Tuesday in St. Louis after a four-month absence due to a torn knee ligament.

?We?ll give him one game before he can save us,? teammate Kris Draper said with a laugh. ?No pressure.?

They joke, but they are excited to welcome back one of the NHL?s top goal-scorers the past couple of seasons. This injury-riddled team that has had trouble generating offense, both even-strength and on the power play, needs Franzen?s finishing touch.

He has been out since the third game of the season, after he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament Oct. 8.

?You?re talking about one of the premier power forwards of the game,? Draper said. ?What he?s done in the regular season and the postseason the last couple of years has been unbelievable. So you?re getting a player who?s big, strong and can dominate a hockey game.?

The Red Wings cautioned not to expect too much too soon from Franzen, who has 50 goals in his last 90 regular season games, and 25 goals in 39 playoff games over the past two seasons.

?The big thing is let?s not get our expectations out of whack,? coach Mike Babcock said. ?The guy hasn?t played since Game 3 this year. That makes it hard for any player to get up to speed. He?s going to be in a battle.

?But the thing about The Mule, he can really shoot the puck. He?s a big, powerful guy. Because he?s been able to skate for so long, we?re hopeful that will mean a return to optimal performance quicker than lots of guys.?

Franzen said it is important for him to play three games this week, prior to the two-week Olympic break.

?We talked about if I should come back before or after (the break) and get a little more rest, but I think it will be good to get started here,? Franzen said. ?The first game you feel fine and then the second and third usually feels not as good. All the muscles will be sore, so I get a good break, then I will be on the same page as the other guys when I get back.?

This is the longest stretch Franzen has missed due to injury. He was out 2? weeks with a sprained knee early last season, then scored a goal in each of his first four games back.

?They?re very important games for Franzen,? general manager Ken Holland said. ?When a player comes back it takes him some time. They usually go on adrenaline at the start. Hopefully it kicks in and we can get a good week out of him.?

Niklas Kronwall knows what it is like to return from a torn ACL, having done it four years ago.

?The first few games there?s adrenaline, you?re so excited and happy to be back you?re going like 100 miles an hour,? Kronwall said. ?It takes a while to get back into your basic game, but at the same time Mule?s been skating with us for a long time and it looks like he?s adjusting pretty good and he?s very much good to go.?

Franzen knows he?s not going to single-handedly turn around team?s fortunes.

?One guy can never do that,? Franzen said. ?Everyone has to dig down and start turning this around so we can feel good about ourselves and start winning.?

Babcock had Franzen skating on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Dan Cleary on Monday, before Tomas Holmstrom left near the start of practice due to his bruised knee. Franzen then joined Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, though Babcock said that is not necessarily a line he?ll use in the game.

If he does play that trio together, Franzen knows what he has to do.

?They?re pretty good back-checkers. It will save my energy a little bit,? Franzen said. ?If I play with them I?ll try to play like Homer, go to the net and stay there. There?s not too much skating, so that?s good.?

 

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Red Wings coach Mike Babcock not concerned about overplaying goaltender Jimmy Howard


Jimmy Howard will start for the 21st time in the last 23 games for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday in St. Louis.

Asked why he chose to start Howard instead of Chris Osgood, coach Mike Babcock said, "Because I think it?s the right decision.??

Babcock added that he's not concerned that the 25-year-old Howard could get worn down with too heavy a workload.

?He just had two days off. He?s a young guy, I don?t think he?s worn out at all, actually,'' Babcock said. ?But you could be concerned, I guess.

"I look at (New Jersey's Martin) Brodeur. How old is Brodeur? (He's 37). He?s older than Howie, isn?t he? He plays every single night. Look at (Buffalo's Ryan) Miller, he plays every single night. You go around and around (the league), I don?t see that as anything.??

 

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Though Franzen returns, the Wings aren't getting everyone back they had wanted.

Defenseman Niklas Kronwall (knee) practiced Monday, but said he won't play because he's waiting for a knee brace. Tomas Holmstrom (knee) will be a game-day decision, and Patrick Eaves (ankle) is doubtful. Drew Miller (ankle) practiced and expects to play.

Franzen's not looking to be the savior for a team that is on the outside in the Western Conference playoff race.

"We gotta turn this around somehow, and one guy can never do that," Franzen said. "Everyone has to dig down and start turning this around, feel good about ourself again and start winning."

Holmstrom said he "couldn't push away hard" went he attempted to skate, so he rode the stationary bike and worked out instead.

Kronwall is eager to return, but he won't do so until his new brace arrives.

"We're waiting for a different brace to come back and for the knee to get even more solid," Kronwall said.

Head athletic trainer Piet Van Zant said one of the doctors suggested Kronwall try a different brace.

 

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BLUES PREVIEW ? The Blues are expected to see another backup goalie when Detroit sends Jimmy Howard onto the ice. The Blues faced San Jose's Thomas Greiss and Chicago's Antti Niemi last week.



RED WINGS PREVIEW ? Detroit is currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot. The Red Wings have lost back-to-back games after coughing up a three-goal lead and losing 4-3 to the Kings on Saturday.

WHAT TO WATCH ? After a four-month layoff, forward Johann Franzen returns to Detroit's lineup tonight. Franzen suffered a torn knee ligament in the Red Wings' home opener Oct. 8.


John Davidson awaiting 'big week' for St. Louis Blues


Before Monday's loss to Colorado, Blues President John Davidson called this "a big week" for the club regarding what it will do at the NHL trading deadline.

The deadline is March 3, but with the Olympic trading freeze kicking in Friday and lasting until Feb. 28, teams will have only three days after the break to finalize their decisions.

For the Blues, that means tonight's game against Detroit, and games Friday against Toronto and Saturday against Washington, are all that remain before the team decides if it's a buyer or seller at the deadline.

"It's pretty gray right now," Davidson said. "We'll make some hard decisions come March 3, but the players have to show us. We've got four games this week. They've shown us some hard work recently, but we need results.


"We've got four games before the break. So we're in a holding pattern, that's where we are. This is a big week."

The Blues entered Monday's game against Colorado in 13th place in the Western Conference with 59 points, seven points out of a playoff spot.

A year ago at this point, the Blues had the same amount of wins (25) but were in 14th place in the West with two fewer points (57). It took a dramatic finish to make the playoffs, something Davidson said "is always possible" this season.

"But we're treading water," he said. "We're five points, we're seven points, we're five points ... we're just treading water. I know we're playing good teams, but it's up to us to win games.

"It's a situation where we have played hard. Frankly, if we played as hard all season at home as we did the last two games, we'd be sitting in fourth place, fifth place, who knows? We'd have more points. You should be above .500 at home ... it's absurd. We've hurt ourselves.

"You've looked at our club, we've had trouble at home, we've had trouble with goal scoring ... we have not had the season we'd hoped to have, let's put it that way."

In a season that's witnessed several players underachieving, Davidson says that he is willing to trade any player on the roster to make the team better.

"When you look at our roster, you can't really say there's any one on that roster that's untouchable," he said. "The way you get better, as an organization, is to examine all of our parts ... try to find a way to make it better. So I wouldn't say there's anyone untouchable. There are guys that you would hope would be a real key part of the future here for a long time, but they've got to keep improving."

Davidson's comments come after the team was interested in trading for Ilya Kovalchuk and declined to trade "one or two key parts" to the Atlanta Thrashers for the star forward.

The Blues were unwilling to make the deal because Kovalchuk becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season and could have signed elsewhere.

"If something makes sense, we'll look at it," Davidson said. "The biggest thing in this world is patience. ... We can trade three of our best young prospects and bring somebody in, and we'll be in the playoffs, but we won't win anything. And we'll be out next year and not have the three great prospects. So we've got to find a way to keep building and keep adding parts and be patient. Otherwise, you destroy what you're trying to do. I think most fans realize that."