Red Wings’ Erik Gustafsson out long term, Elmer Soderblom day-to-day

The Detroit Red Wings continue to receive bad news from their blue-line.

Head coach Todd McLellan shared that veteran defender Erik Gustafsson will be out long-term with an undisclosed injury .

McLellan didnt provide a specific timeline for Gustafssons absence, though hes been significantly downgraded after only being designated as out day-to-day on Thursday.

Rookie forward Elmer Soderblom will also be out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury, and remains day-to-day.

Gustafsson appeared to suffer his injury in the third period of Detroits Tuesday loss to the Washington Capitals after a collision with Capitals forward Lars Eller sent him crashing into the boards.

No specifics of Gustafssons injury have been revealed, though his awkward fall into the boards could suggest knee or ankle related issues.

In response to these injuries, Detroit has recalled forwards Austin Watson and Brogan Rafferty under emergency conditions.

Now, it seems Gustafssons scary crash will indeed result in a long-term absence.

Hes been leaned on heavily down the stretch, and even played upwards of 20 minutes a night in Detroits second-half.

Gustafsson ranks third on the Detroit blue-line in scoring with 18 points in 60 games.

Hes also posted a team-worst minus-19.

Both statlines are a downtick from Gustafssons 31 points and plus-three in 76 games with the New York Rangers last season; which was itself a step down from 42 points and a plus-nine in the 2022-23 season.

Detroit will need to fill vacancies on the second pair and second powerplay unit with Gustafsson out.

That latter hole has opened the door for rookie Simon Edvinsson to finally earn consistent powerplay ice time.

Edvinsson has 25 points in 64 games this season.

He also ranks third on the blue-line in blocks (118) and hits (66) behind Moritz Seider and Ben Chiarot .

Edvinsson is known for his puck control and passing ability and racking up impacts away from the puck has helped earn him a chance at special teams minutes.

Who fills Gustafssons even-strength role is less clear.

Rookie Albert Johansson seems like the best candidate to step into a bigger role, after playing over 21 minutes of action in each of his last two games.

Johansson has eight points and a minus-seven in 47 games this year.

Hes also tallied 76 blocked shots and 49 hits stats that rank first and third on the Red Wings blue-line on a per-game basis.

If not Johansson, Detroit is likely to award bigger minutes to Chiarot and William Lagesson .

Chiarot has 11 points in 67 games, while Lagesson hasnt yet scored through two appearances.

While the Red Wings rush to fill Gustafssons openings, rookie Soderblom will focus on not losing his momentum.

He has nine points in 22 games this season one more point in one more game than he totaled in his first taste of the NHL in 2022-23.

Hes been a sizeable addition to the Red Wings lineup, both in height and impact giving the Wings a hint of the success that the New York Rangers have found in players like Adam Edstrom .

Soderblom still has a path to pave before hes an everyday piece of the lineup, but a strong return from injury could do the work for him.

The Red Wings bear with these injuries while sitting on the fringe of a hotly-contested playoff race.

Five different teams have between 70 and 74 points in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit sits on the low-end, while the Montreal Canadiens have hold of the second Wild Card spot on the other end.

Properly filling Gustafssons void, and seeing the return of an impactful bottom-six piece like Soderblom, could heavily sway Detroits playoffs hopes as they approach their final 14 games of the season.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

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