Before the reported injuries of defenseman Niklas Kronwall, and forward Tomas Jurco yesterday, we already knew that Teemu Pulkkinen would be missing time due to injury sustained over the summer. Despite the fact that even with injuries the logjam remains, there is a glimmer of hope that the Red Wings’ youth could claim for spots as injuries settle.
Let’s assume that Kronwall returns in time for the regular season, the Red Wings would still have a seventh spot open on defense for Xavier Ouellet, Ryan Sproul, and Nick Jensen to compete for.