Detroit's Franzen May Return Wednesday

Johan Franzen has declared himself ready to return to the lineup, reports Detroit beat writer Ansar Khan. The big Swedish forward has been out since taking a teammate's shot off his hand in the team's February 7 win over Edmonton.

Franzen's return will bump a forward from the lineup, though head coach Mike Babcock would provide no information on who will sit. He told Khan that he may keep Ville Leino in the lineup, which narrows the choice down to the veteran Kirk Maltby and the young Tomas Kopecky. Given his somewhat lackluster season, Kopecky may be the odd man out here.

Franzen has missed 11 games this season due to injury, continuing a troubling trend that has marked his career. His injury frequency adds another dimension to the question of whether he or Marian Hossa should be the Wings' priority from a contract extension standpoint. Hossa's resiliency combined with his proven production capability make his case compelling, especially in light of Franzen's unproven offensive upside.

For now, though, the Wings are banking on being able to sign both Franzen and Hossa, as reported by Helene St. James in the Detroit Free Press today. More progress has been made on the Franzen side, but GM Ken Holland seems confident he'll be able to find common ground with Hossa. Signing both will come at a cost, however.

To make room in the salary structure, the team will be forced, baring a miracle, to trade a regular such as Mikael Sameulsson or Jiri Hudler. Not many fans in Detroit would mourn the loss of Samuelsson, but a Hudler trade would be much more unpopular. The young Czech player has worked his way from a somewhat lazy prospect to one of the hardest working players on the team and one of the most underrated players in the League.

Unfortunately, that's what may make him so valuble on the trade market. His status as a potential restricted free agent would also make the trade more attractive to teams looking to avoid the loss of a deadline-aquired free agent. It's his status as a potential RFA, though, that may cause the Wings to keep him around for the playoffs with the knowledge that they'd receive some compensation should he take another team's offer sheet and go.

In the debate over Franzen and Hossa, the Wings really face a question of which homegrown player is more valuble: the big Swede or the little Czech. As the process continues to develop, the answer is becoming more and more solidly Franzen, and this fan isn't entirely convinced.

Franzen can start his latest argument for himself tomorrow night. If he really is ready to return.