There's something rotten in Hockeytown.
Winless in their last six contests, the Detroit Red Wings could use a break, but the news got worse on the injury front as it was revealed on Monday that veteran center Johan Franzen has entered the NHL's concussion protocol, the result of what looked to be an inadvertent hit to the jaw from Tampa Bay bad boy Radko Gudas on Sunday.
If he does indeed have a concussion, it would be the second in as many games for the Red Wings, left wing Justin Abdelkader taking a fierce shot to the chin from Pittsburgh's Deryk Engelland on Saturday night.
Unlike Engelland, Gudas wasn't penalized on the hit nor will the league be looking at his shot to the face of Franzen, as replays show no sinister motive - the Penguins' Engelland received a match penalty for his mugging of Abdelkader, and has an invitation from the league office to have a sit-down with the people that overlook player safety, a move that could mean a lengthy suspension.
But now of that makes any difference to Detroit coach Mike Babcock, whose team hasn't tasted victory in over two weeks.
“When the suspension is handed out, guess what, I don’t get the player back. How does that affect my life? I just know that I had a good player and now I don’t have a good player."
Franzen's offense will be sorely missed in his absence, as the 34-year-old has logged 17 points in the last 16 games after a slow start to his season and has a plus-seven rating - while Abdelkader has pitched in with 13 points in 34 games played.
http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2013/12/red-wings-franzen-joins-abdelkader-on.html
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