The Red Wings aren’t exactly an offensive machine — even when most everyone is healthy and playing, and accounted for in the lineup.
As their best offensive players depart the lineup due to injury, scoring goals could be an issue.
The latest player to get hurt is also the one with the most points on the team, captain Dylan Larkin, who didn’t play Wednesday in Minnesota after taking a shot to his right hand during Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Carolina.
Coach Derek Lalonde said after Tuesday’s game he had no further update, other than Larkin wouldn’t be available to play against the Wild. The Wings have a complete day off Thursday and don’t play again until Saturday, when they host Ottawa.
The Wings made a move to replace Larkin Wednesday, recalling forward Elmer Soderblom from Grand Rapids, while putting defenseman Olli Maatta on injured reserve, retroactive to December 6. Maatta has been battling a non-COVID illness and missed four consecutive games, counting the Minnesota game.
Losing Larkin for any length of time would be a crucial blow for a Wings team that has struggled to generate offense at even strength, and already have a long list of offensive players out of the lineup.
Larkin leads the Wings with 27 points (10 goals and 17 assists) in 28 games, nearly a point-per-game pace.
“He’s a driver, a transporter of the puck,” Lalonde said. “Obviously, with some of the offense we already have out, he’s still pushed us, pushes linemates, whoever he’s with, and produces analytically. He’s a big piece, with a team that hasn’t produced a ton of five-on-five offense.”
And just like Larkin, blocking shots has been a common culprit among the injured Wings.
Tyler Bertuzzi is on his second stint on the injured list after a second hand surgery (one on each hand), Filip Zadina is out after a lower-body injury blocking a shot, Matt Luff (upper-body) likewise, and Soderblom just returned and played two games in Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint after missing a month after blocking a shot (undisclosed injury).
Add to that list Jakub Vrana (NHL/NHLPA players assistance program), who only played the first two games and Robby Fabbri (knee surgery), who has yet to play this season, and the Wings have been decimated among the forwards.
“No matter what happens, we’ve stepped up all year when guys went missing or not,” forward David Perron said of the Wings’ resilience.
Soderblom began the season with the Wings, earning a spot in the lineup after an impressive exhibition season. Soderblom didn’t slow down once the regular season started, scoring two goals in his first five games, and used his 6-foot-8 body to be a force around the net.
But Soderblom didn’t earn a point over his last eight games and was minus-four during that span (minus-five for the season).
With Larkin unavailable, Lalonde can use Andrew Copp, Pius Suter, Joe Veleno, Michael Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist among his four centers.
Difficult stretch
The Wings were 1-4-1 over a recent stretch against teams that made the playoffs last season, with Wednesday’s game in Minnesota the next such encounter.
There was anticipation among many Wings players heading into this stretch as to how the Wings would do against some of the NHL’s elite.
And while the Wings haven’t been out-classed, on the whole, they still haven’t been successful in terms of the standings.
Until that changes, the Wings’ can’t be satisfied.
“It’s kind of ebbing and flowing a little bit, and we have to figure out a way to get points in these games,” Copp said. “It’s not just we played a real good team close and a bounce here or there. We have to, if we’re going to take the next step, we have to take two points and confidently say we’re the better team.”
Moving forward
Perron was honored with a nice video tribute, and gifts from the Wings organization, before Tuesday’s game for playing in his 1,000th career game Saturday in Dallas.
Perron was touched by the tribute, but was ready to put the weekend’s celebrations in the past.
“Definitely incredible,” Perron said of Tuesday’s pregame ceremony. “It was special, but I’m also looking forward to moving on and keep on playing games. I had a lot of people in town over the last few days and a lot of things were going on. Now, I have to focus on my energy in the right direction.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan