The Detroit Red Wings have placed defenseman Niklas Kronwall on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Kronwall is the team’s ice time leader and has been out since January 17 with a knee injury that required surgery. The placement on LTIR means that he will not be eligible to return to the lineup until the team’s February 14 game against the Boston Bruins.
It’s likely that Kronwall was going to miss a good deal of time, but the big reason for making the LTIR designation official is that the team will receive a little cap relief.
The team is currently projected to have $4.75 million in cap space available today with Kronwall on LTIR. That’s the cap space available with Kronwall’s $4.75 million, Johan Franzen’s $3.95 million and Drew Miller’s $1.35 million all placed on LTIR. There’s a real crunch in Detroit that makes it difficult for the team to handle dealing with the roster when this many players are injured.
Through 45 games this season the 35-year-old defender has three goals and 17 points.
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