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The troubled defense of the Detroit Red Wings took a hit Monday with the news that Andreas Lilja would be placed on the long-term injury list in order to allow him time to recover from a concussion suffered during a fight in the team's 8-0 loss to Nashville on February 28th. The big Swedish defensemen has been dealing with daily headaches since about the third punch of the tussle with Shea Weber (YouTube).Lilja left the game after the fight, and hasn't returned to the ice since. He underwent tests in the days following the game, but had further tests Monday when his symptoms didn't abate. He has missed three games already, and will miss his fourth tonight when the Wings face Phoenix. He is not eligible to return until March 27th, after ten games out of the lineup.
For the time being, his nominal replacement in the lineup will be young Jonathan Ericsson, who is on recall from the Wings' AHL affiliate. The placement of Lilja on the LTIR allows the Wings the cap space to keep Ericsson despite the return of Tomas Holmstrom off the same list tonight. Ericsson is slated to be a major part of the next Wings blueliner corps, so the extra time in Detroit will only help the Wings evaluate him before his waiver-free eligibility runs out and a decision must be made on his future.
The coming recall of Darren McCarty from his two-week conditioning stint may force the Wings to send Ericsson down, however. In that case, Derek Meech or Chris Chelios would fill in for Lilja.
Lilja is a favorite scapegoat of Wings fans for his subpar skating, offensive skills (relative to the other Detroit defensemen and virtually everyone else on the team), and tendency to make high-profile gaffes (YouTube), but this is a blow to a team looking to improve defensively going down the stretch.
On top of the fact that he's been one of the Wings' better and more consistent all-around defensemen this season, Lilja is a key penalty killer. His absence will make that much more difficult for the Wings to get their PK out of the gutter. His physical presence and willingness to drop the gloves for his teammates (again, relative to everyone on the team) provide a dimension the Wings will miss over the next seven games.
A head injury is definitely not something you want to see happen, even to a scapegoat. Personally, I feel for the guy because of the circumstances of his injury. He was the one Red Wing that night who showed passion and that he cared about the outcome of the game, and this is how he gets rewarded. It wasn't pretty, to be sure, but I definitely took notice as I watched the Wings skate to one of the worst blowouts they've ever suffered while demonstrating the about the lowest level of interest I've seen from them.
Concussions are sticky injuries. Here's hoping Lilja can get out of the woods and back to the lineup at the end of the minimum term on the LTIR.
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