Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg is not expected to play for the whole 2018-19 season due to a back injury and ultimately will have to end his NHL career, as per head coach Jeff Blashill. Blashill told the media at the Stars & Stripes Showdown held on Sunday that he does not expect Zetterberg to make a comeback in the upcoming season if he does not get clearance by the regular season opener on October 4.
“I know it’s been a real hard summer and I know … there’s lots of doubt to where he’ll be at,” said Blashill.
The 37-year-old Zetterberg has been having an ongoing back issue, and Blashill said that the team would get a better idea about his health status once the training camp starts from September 14. Blashill said that Zetterberg has told him he has not been able to carry out training activities, which raised doubts in the mind of Blashill that the captain might not be able to make it through an entire season.
“If he comes into camp and is in a spot where he’s not cleared, I wouldn’t plan on him for the rest of the year,” Blashill told the media. “That would be my take because I don’t know how you go from not being able to train and then not cleared to all of a sudden being cleared.”
Zetterberg has appeared in a total of 82 games in each of the last three seasons; however, his playing future has remained in doubt in the entire off-season. Moreover, he has not practiced with the Red Wings in the second half of the last season and has been struggled to get back in shape and work out this summer. The two-time All-Star has been the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy in the year 2008.
