Kronwall Swallows Pain, Enjoys Return To Lineup
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
For hockey players, sitting out is like swallowing nails.
Niklas Kronwall, the Detroit Red Wings' blue line hammer, is no exception.
So despite chronic pain in his left knee, off-season surgery notwithstanding, Kronwall made his return to the Wings' lineup on Friday night after missing the first 11 games of the season. He logged 18:14 of ice time in Detroit's 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
"It was nice just to get back out there with the guys again," Kronwall said afterward.
Ho-hum. Just another game for the Wings' 35-year-old assistant captain and longest-tenured defenseman.
Reflecting on the positives of his debut, Kronwall seized on the way his body responded to its first true test of the season. Kronwall's been going full-bore in practice, but there's nothing like a game to gauge one's health.
"I felt good. The knee held up and I felt decent," Kronwall said, before quickly shifting his attention to the team. "But there's some areas obviously we need to clean up moving forward."
He pointed to Detroit's inconsistency in breaking out of their own zone and their inability to generate a steady forecheck, particularly late in the game.
"And, of course, the power play, has to be -- has to be -- more of a factor," Kronwall said, after the man-up unit went 0-for-3 and failed to produce any quality scoring chances. "That's not good enough."
Kronwall skated with the first power play unit on Friday night, but never had an opportunity to unleash his dangerous shot. The Wings' struggled with zone entries all game long, and, whenever they did set things up, were far too mechanical moving the puck.
"I didn't think our power play was very good, it's gotta be way better," said head coach Jeff Blashill. "It actually wasn't good enough at all. We had opportunities to make a difference and we didn't make a difference."
It'd be hard to say the same about Kronwall, who, even in a quiet game, has an impact on those around him.
"He's great for the D corps back there, a kind of calming presence," said Justin Abdelkader, who put the Wings up 3-2 with less than ten minutes to play. "I thought he played a great game tonight. He's a really smart player. He sees the ice well and has that calming influence on the back end."
That's important for a Red Wings' blue-line outfit that has, at various points this season, featured 23-year-olds Ryan Sproul and Xavier Oullet as well as 24-year-old mainstay Alexey Marchenko.
Kronwall was paired with fellow veteran Brendan Smith on Friday night, and finished with an even rating. He was on the ice for Abdelkader's goal and, tellingly so, for Winnipeg's empty-netter in the dying seconds.
With Detroit in desperate need of a goal, Kronwall was one of six players tabbed by his coach.
"I thought Kronner played pretty good," Blashill said. "I mean the one thing with Kronner, he's got a great brain and he's got smarts. He's got great poise under pressure."
It's hard not to notice that Kronwall has lost a step in recent seasons, but he makes up for it with his on-ice savvy. And the Red Wings, struggling lately to close games out, could use every bit of it.
It remains to be seen how much Kronwall plays as the season progress and whether or not he climbs up the defensive ladder. For now, he's just happy to be back and excited for the Wings' next game.
The knee hurts, but it hurts Kronwall more to sit out.
"We'll see here moving forward after one or two more games, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back in the lineup again," he said.