Detroit’s Helm sees back specialist in New York

Frustrated by his inability to recover from injury, Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm met with a back specialist in New York, who thinks he might’ve uncovered something new on Helm’s MRI.

“The doctor thinks he saw something there that other people didn’t see,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told MLive.com. “He gave him some medication. We’re going to see where he’s at in 4-5 days.”

Holland went on to explain the club would re-evaluate Helm when it got back to Detroit. The Red Wings are currently on a two-game Western road trip in Los Angeles and San Jose (Wednesday-Thursday) but will return to Michigan on Friday.

Helm, 26, has been hobbled by back issues all year long. The ailment has held him out of 18 of Detroit’s 19 games played thus far, and he hasn’t skated since the end of January.

Not having Helm in the lineup has been a major blow for the Wings. Head coach Mike Babcock has referred to Helm as the “best third-line center in the NHL.”

The injury has also taken its toll on Helm both mentally and physically.

“I come in for treatment, and then I go home to sleep,” Helm told the Detroit Free Press. “Mentally, I’ve had a couple of bad days here and there. It has been a long time since I’ve played hockey, and it does get you down.

“I’ve seen a couple of doctors, and they believe it will get better; it’s just a matter of time. I just have to stay happy and positive about that.”