On Tuesday morning, the Detroit Red Wings (10-11-3) recalled defenseman William Lagesson from the Grand Rapids Griffins. The move comes with the Red Wings set to play the Bruins Tuesday night in Boston then travel to Ottawa for a clash with the Senators on Thursday. Heading into that trip, Detroit faces a slew of injuries, making Lagesson insurance should some of the ailing Red Wings prove unavailable.
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To create a roster spot for Lagesson, Detroit placed forward Patrick Kane—out since Nov. 23 against Boston—on injured reserved retroactive to that date. IR holds a player out of action for seven days, so Kane is already eligible to play, but coach Derek Lalonde already ruled him out of this evening’s game.
Lagesson presumably has been called up as insurance for defenseman Jeff Petry, who did not practice yesterday, with Lalonde explaining that “Petry actually had a little lower body pre-game yesterday in the off-ice warm-up but got through the game, so he needed a day today. We’ll see where he’s at for tomorrow.” Even if Petry can’t go, Detroit would still have six healthy D-men in Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Justin Holl, Ben Chiarot, Erik Gustafsson, and Albert Johansson, so Lagesson is in all likelihood true insurance should more injuries arrive on the road.
Of course, Lagesson last made headlines when he used a wrestling chokehold on Iowa Wild forward Adam Raska, earning a three-game suspension for the maneuver. He’s now served that three-game ban, but, somewhat curiously, AHL suspensions do not apply to NHL games, so even if he did have games remaining in his sentence, Lagesson could still theoretically suit up for the Red Wings.
After this morning’s skate, Lalonde will likely provide further clarity on Detroit’s injuries and plans for Lagesson.
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