Wings lose injured D Ericsson for 3-5 weeks
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is expected to miss three to five weeks because of fractured ribs.
Ericsson was hurt during the Red Wings' 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday night when he fell to the ice after a hit on left winger Matt Martin in the first period. He left the ice and went to a local hospital for X-rays.
"Sounds like he's going to be out awhile," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "I guess I would say 3-5 weeks if I had to guess."
In 29 games this season, Ericsson has one goal and seven assists while averaging 21 minutes. He sat out 10 games earlier this season with a shoulder injury.
The 29-year-old Ericsson's lineup replacement likely will be defenseman Jakub Kindl, who has one goal and nine assists in 37 games this season for the Red Wings.
Ericsson, who signed a six-year, $25.5 million contract extension in November, joins a long Red Wings injury list that includes forward Johan Franzen (concussion), forward Darren Helm (shoulder), forward Justin Abdelkader (concussion), goalie Jimmy Howard (knee), center Stephen Weiss (sports hernia) and forward Henrik Zetterberg (herniated disc).
Zetterberg, Abdelkader and Helm could return for Saturday night's game against the Florida Panthers. Franzen and Howard might be back before the Winter Classic outdoor game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1 in Michigan Stadium. Weiss is not expected to return until late February after the Olympic break.
Ericsson's injury also jeopardizes his availability for Sweden in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
