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Red Wings activate Pavel Datsyuk from injured reserve

Pavel Datsyuk

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, celebrates after scoring a goal against the Phoenix Coyotes in the third period of an NHL first-round playoff hockey series Friday, April 23, 2010, in Glendale, Ariz. The Red Wings won Game 5 by a score of 4-1. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

AP

The Detroit Red Wings have been forced to play without world-class forward Pavel Datsyuk for more than a month, but it sounds like they won’t have to do so much longer. The perennial Selke winner missed 16 games thanks to a broken right wrist suffered during a December 22nd game against the Vancouver Canucks, but the team activated him from the injured reserve today.

While we cannot guarantee that he’ll play in Detroit’s next game, it seems like a reasonable bet since they won’t play again until they visit the Ottawa Senators on the road next Wednesday.

The Red Wings were pretty solid without their outstanding two-way forward (10-4-2 in those 16 games), but they’ll obviously be glad to have the talented Russian back in the fold. The all-star break should allow Datsyuk a decent amount of time to get his legs back under him, so expect Detroit to claim their spot as a genuine contender toward the home stretch of the 2010-11 season.