Injury Update: Jeff Petry Inching Closer to Return

DETROIT—The Detroit Red Wings have been without defenseman Jeff Petry since a Jan. 2 win in Columbus over the Blue Jackets.  Petry has taken part in practices and pre-game skates since the injury but always in quite a limited capacity.  That changed at Monday morning's practice, and while he's not ready to hop back in the lineup just yet, that return is clearly drawing closer.

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"He skated today and got involved in practice for the first time," coach Todd McLellan said after practice.  "He's been involved wrestling around in the corners a little bit, but this was his first go at actually being involved in the team. I talked to him after, and he said he felt pretty confident. But is he gonna play in Washington? No, he won't play in Washington. He needs some time. He's been out for a while, and he just needs to get back to being able to be productive at this time of year. The game has ramped up since he's left, so he's gotta get back to where he was before and maybe more."

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McLellan also confirmed that Petry will travel with the Red Wings for the coming weekend's road trip to Vegas, Utah, and Colorado.  Since Petry's injury, 24-year-old rookie Albert Johansson—Detroit's initial fill-in—has come to flourish on the Red Wings' blue line, so it's difficult to imagine he would fall back out of the lineup when Petry does return to full health.

Instead, Justin Holl (presently playing third pair minutes with Erik Gustafsson) is probably the more likely name to drop out of the lineup.  Again, Petry's return isn't quite imminent yet, but he's certainly tracking in a positive direction.

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