After this afternoon’s optional skate, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde provided an update on his team’s health. Specifically, Lalonde revealed that defenseman Jeff Petry (injured in the second period season opener Thursday, unavailable for last night) and Christian Fischer (injured last night and unable to finish the game) will both be unavailable tomorrow night in New York against the Rangers. Lalonde characterized both injuries as “upper body” and both players as “day to day.”
“We probably have to do some moving around, potentially send someone through waivers to potentially get a body available, because I think both [Fischer] and Petry…will not be IR candidates,” added Lalonde, as to the team’s short-term plans. In other words, because neither Fischer nor Petry is expected to miss more than a week, Detroit can’t free up a roster spot by simply moving one or both to injured reserve.
As it stands, the Red Wings have 11 healthy forwards and seven healthy defensemen. Lalonde noted that Detroit could potentially go with an 11-seven lineup tomorrow night, though it appears a roster move is likely coming nonetheless.
Justin Holl is the only Detroit defenseman who could be sent down without clearing waivers (because he did so earlier in the week, thus giving him a 30-day window in which he can pass freely), but without Petry, Lalonde values having Holl as an additional right-shot defenseman in the lineup. Therefore, to get an extra spot to add a 12th forward to the roster, the Red Wings elected to waive goaltender Ville Husso this afternoon.
Husso’s season got off to a disappointing start Thursday night, and, because of his $4.75 million cap hit, he is unlikely to be claimed on waivers. Clearing waivers would allow Detroit to send him to Grand Rapids to call up an extra forward.
From there, the queston becomes: who will that forward be? Marco Kasper is surely the fan favorite answer, but given the short-term nature of Petry and Fischer prognoses, it is perhaps more likely to be a more veteran, workmanlike option, most likely Austin Watson. Lalonde hinted as much this afternoon, when he said, “maybe with it being a short-term call-up, might be a more veteran guy than some of those young guys that probably need a more significant role in Grand Rapids.”
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