Blood clots are no laughing matter. They are a very serious injury that can be hard to come back from. So when Dominic Turgeon was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right arm last year right before the playoffs, nobody really knew when he’d be back.

Well, after a successful surgery in the offseason, it sounds like Turgeon will be ready to go sooner rather than later. When talking to the Detroit Free Press about the team’s top forward prospects, general manager Ken Holland mentioned Turgeon as a possible bottom-6 center to fill the gap that will be created by Henrik Zetterberg‘s absence.

Today, Turgeon was seen on the ice in full gear.

Whether or not Turgeon cracks the opening night roster is still up for debate. The Wings have a lot of options to cover the vacancy at center, including Darren Helm and Andreas Athanasiou.

Turgeon played in five games for the Wings last season and his stats were not flattering. Contributing zero points, Turgeon’s role is more of a defensive one. Still, he put up a negative Corsi-For percentage, despite starting 39% of his shifts in the offensive zone, per Corsica. He also played nearly 10 minutes on the penalty kill, allowing only a single shorthanded goal while he was on the ice.

This was his first NHL stint, so take these stats with a grain of salt. Combine nerves with the adjustment period required and most NHL starts look like this. This small sample size should not be a reason for him to live in the AHL forever. Turgeon could be a serviceable bottom-6 player on this team if given the chance and if his health holds out.

He’ll get into some NHL games this year when the injuries start to hit, but training camp is the first step. We’ll have a much better picture of his health and the shape he’s once camp gets under way.

Until then, let’s keep speculating!