The Detroit Red Wings are making some moves to free up roster space, and preparing to bring back one of their mainstays in goal.
On Thursday, the team announced that they have placed forward Patrick Kane on injured reserve, while loaning goaltender Ville Husso to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for a conditioning stint.
The Red Wings also recalled defenseman Brogan Rafferty from the Griffins for the third time this week.
Kane’s placement on IR is retroactive to Jan. 14, when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs, leaving the game early. According to head coach Derek Lalonde, the 35-year-old’s injury was not related to the hip he had surgery on, and was rehabbing by the the time the 2023-24 season began.
Kane was signed by the Wings back in late November, and made an immediate impact on the team, scoring seven goals and nine assists in 19 games. The former Chicago Blackhawk returned to the ice with the Red Wings on Wednesday, practicing for the first time in two weeks.
The other good news is that Husso is nearing his return to action. The 28-year-old netminder was injured last month during a chaotic weekend between the pipes, when both he and Alex Lyon went down with ailments in back-to-back games. Husso has been out of the lineup for the past 16 games with a lower-body injury.
Husso is expected to start at least one of the Griffins games against the Belleville Senators this weekend. It will be his first action in the AHL since he was with the San Antonio Rampage during the 2019-20 season.
In 18 games with Detroit this season, Husso is 9-5-2 with a 3.53 goals-against average and .893 save percentage. A slight downturn compared to the 3.11 GAA that he posted during the 2022-23 campaign.
Despite having been recalled to the NHL four times, Rafferty has yet to play a game with the Wings this season. His movement up and down between Grand Rapids and Detroit has mostly been cap-related.
The Red Wings (24-18-5) are currently fifth in the Atlantic Division, three points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the division, but are holding onto the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
They are set to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
More must-reads: