Pavel Datsyuk ready to go after recovering from knee injury
By Cory Buck
The Detroit Red Wings made the NHL playoffs for the 23rd straight year last spring, but hardly more than that. After losing top centers Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for much of last season, they were a lame-duck entrant into the Eastern Conference playoffs, where the team lost in five games to the Boston Bruins in the first round. This year, the team is hoping for better and they’ll likely get better now that Datsyuk has fully recovered from his knee injury.
More from Detroit Red Wings
- NHL Trade Grades: Red Wings land Alex Debrincat in trade with Senators
- NHL Mock Draft: Connor Bedard No. 1, but who’s next?
- NHL rumors: Calgary in Flames, Kings, Flyers set for big deals, Hall to Chicago
- NHL rumors: Alex DeBrincat-Red Wings noise gets louder
- Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 revealed: Welcome to immortality!
“It looks like the work has helped me,” Datsyuk said per the team’s website, “and I don’t need [knee] surgery. … I’m skating now and it feels much better. Nothing bothers me and we’ll see.”
The only thing that might bother Datsyuk at this point is the lack of activity from the Red Wings in the offseason. The team is clearly aging and their window to compete with Datsyuk and Zetterberg is closing, yet their only move to this date has been to wait and hope Daniel Alfredsson wants to re-sign with the team.
Still, Datsyuk isn’t bothered by that, saying he’s excited to try out coach Mike Babcock’s idea of elevating third-line speedster Darren Helm to the wing alongside Datsyuk.
“He has good speed and good power and skill,” Datsyuk said of Helm. “If I use the skill it will be awesome. But I need to be the same speed as him, make sure there’s not two zones between us.”
Provided Datsyuk’s knee is recovered and free of pain as he claims, expect the 13-year veteran to put up points regardless of who plays on his wing.