Swedish Team May Suffer Due to Red Wings' Injuries

National pride or Stanley Cup glory?

This question may haunt some of the Red Wings in the next couple months.

The Red Wings will have nine potential Olympians, four of whom are currently injured, and all could be playing for the Swedish National Team. Should the players risk further injury and defend their gold medals, or stay at home and heal for the upcoming playoff run?

There are three possible scenarios:

1. Players recover well before the Games, and are able to work off any rust in the NHL before heading to Vancouver.
2. The players get healthy just before the Games, and use the Olympics to get their conditioning back.
3. The players are cleared by doctors to play at the Olympics, but won’t want to risk further injury and possibly missing the rest of the NHL season.

The question for Wings and Swedish fans alike becomes: Who will be healthy enough to compete, and who will spend the down-time rehabbing injuries?

Henrik Zetterberg’s separated shoulder should only keep him out another couple of weeks. That gives him at least a dozen games to get back into game shape and get ready for Olympic play. All expectations are that he will be playing in Vancouver come February.

Johan Franzen’s situation is a little more dicey. He isn’t expected back until about the time the Games begin. Reports state that he is ahead of schedule, but does that give him enough time to get back into game-shape and be the impact player his so often is?

Should he decide to play in Vancouver, how will his newly re-constructed knee hold up to the pressures of both international and NHL play?

Nicklas Kronwall should be returning soon, and will have at least 15 games to round back into form. However, spraining an MCL doesn’t allow much of an opportunity to maintain fitness. The Olympics would offer him a great opportunity to work his way back into shape and help the Wings upon his return.

On the other hand, staying home and working out with the Wings’ training staff and the players not selected could also be very beneficial.

Should Jonathan Ericsson be named to the Swedish team, his ability to play becomes the most tenuous. There is no listed date for his return to the ice.

With no ability to shake off the rust and prove he’s 100 percent before the Games, Swedish team officials might keep him off altogether. Knee injuries have a habit of sticking around or flaring up again, so his skipping the Olympics and resting would greatly benefit the Wings’ playoff run.

Swedish fans want to see their defending gold medal team at full strength. The NHL season means little this year.

Likewise, Wings fans would love to see as many of their hometown heroes playing in Vancouver as possible. If nothing else, it leads to bragging rights and validates the claim that the team is made up of the best players in the world.

Whether that is the best strategy for a team struggling to make the playoffs remains to be seen.