Detroit Red Wings' key forward set to make awaited return to lineup before trade deadline
Detroit Red Wings get a major boost in the return of a key forward to the lineup ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline
The Detroit Red Wings, sitting tied at 66 points with the New York Rangers for a NHL Wildcard spot have been struggling offensively, and it's partially due to the loss of two-key forwards.
Their first loss up front came with forward Andrew Copp, who was injured in a scrum against the Anaheim Ducks, which ultimately lead to a season-ending pectoral surgery.
Their second loss came at a similar time, with forward Michael Rasmussen suffering an upper-body injury after taking hit to the head from Anaheim Ducks' Trevor Zegras, the NHL suspended him three games.
With two forwards out, Steve Yzerman was expected to acquire multiple forwards to fill the voids left behind in Copp and Rasmussen, but now it changes things.
After missing four games following the hit from Zegras, Rasmussen is set to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club.
Rasmussen has played 56 games this season with the Red Wings, recording nine goals and 16 points, but his presence goes beyond the score sheet.
Rasmussen's return for the Red Wings is much more important than pundits think
The Red Wings are in a losing record when Rasmussen is not in the lineup, and it's by a large deficit.
"Saw someone tweet that Detroit is like 45-90 without Rasmussen in the last however many years. Couldn't re-find it after I saw it, but man, that's a heck of a stat. I knew he was really important to our forward depth, but maybe a little more important than we all realized.."
Chosen ninth overall by the Red Wings in the 2017 NHL draft, Rasmussen has been a very impactful forward, and at age 25 - he has a lot more to prove.
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