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Detroit ‘shuts down’ Datsyuk for three weeks, no knee surgery yet

Pavel Datsyuk

Detroit Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk celebrates scoring the winning shootout goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

AP

The Detroit Red Wings have suffered from serious injury issues this season, and it doesn’t look like things will get any better soon, as GM Ken Holland announced that the team will “shut down” Pavel Datsyuk for three weeks. The good news is that surgery on that bad knee isn’t on tap ... yet.

“Right now, there’s no surgery for Pavel,” Holland said. “We’re gonna shut him down and see where we’re at in three weeks.”

Now, keep in mind, three weeks is when they’re revisit the situation. In a best-case scenario, the Red Wings would get Datsyuk back sometime around March 25 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s already missed two games and would miss 10 more in the most ideal series of events. Knowing Detroit’s luck in 2013-14, this could end up being a lengthier ordeal.

To make matters worse, the team also announced that Darren Helm was pulled from Tuesday’s game because of “headaches” and will miss at least a few days.

When you stack Datsyuk and Helm’s latest setbacks alongside bad luck for Henrik Zetterberg and Stephen Weiss - among others - it’s easy to see why the “wounded wings” headline has been featured so often at PHT. It also makes it that much easier to understand why they gave up some valuable assets to get David Legwand on deadline day.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins