Red Wings place Frans Nielsen on IR, activate Steve Ott

Just in case you needed a reason to believe the Red Wings should sell come deadline time, Frans Nielsen was placed on the injured reserve Monday with a shoulder injury. 

Nielsen hurt his shoulder during the Wings’ 5-4 win over the New York Islanders on Friday. Since he’s only being placed on the short-term injured reserve, Nielsen must miss at least two games, meaning he’s eligible to return on Saturday against the Blue Jackets. That said, there currently isn’t any time table on his return. 

Nielsen, who was locked up to a six-year deal in free agency this summer, has been the Wings top centre this season. He was the team’s only representative at the NHL All-Star Game, largely a testament to the team having a forgettable season, though. His 26 points puts him sixth on the team in scoring, but Nielsen boasts some of the best possession numbers on the team when considering the level of competition he plays against. 

In a corresponding roster move, Steve Ott was activated from the injured reserve after missing 10 games due to a shoulder injury. Obviously Ott won’t be filling Nielsen’s spot on the depth chart, so somebody like Dylan Larkin will need to step up in his absence. 

The Wings currently sit third-last in the Eastern Conference, but despite that, they’re only five points behind Boston for the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. That said, if this injury to Nielsen results in anything more than him being on the sidelines for a few games, the dream of extending the playoff streak is likely over. (If it wasn’t already.)