Kronwall Will Return Tonight For Red Wings -- But What's Next?

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

After missing the first 11 games of the season, Niklas Kronwall will be back in the lineup tonight for the Red Wings when they take on the Winnipeg Jets at Joe Louis Arena.

The 35-year-old defenseman had been recovering from offseason knee surgery.

At Detroit's morning skate on Friday, Kronwall was featured on the top power play unit alongside Gustav Nyquist, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar and Mike Green. He was paired on defense with Brendan Smith. Per Ansar Khan:

Aside from the fact that Kronwall has missed extended time, it's not much of a surprise to see him on the team's bottom defensive pairing. He's coming off one of his worst seasons in the NHL - indeed, probably the worst - and questions have been raised about his usefulness on the ice.

In 2015-16, Kronwall finished with his lowest points total (26) since his first full NHL season and posted a career-worst and team-worst minus-21. (Sure, plus/minus can be a misleading stat, but minus-21 paints a pretty clear picture.)

The hope for Kronwall is that he regains some of his effectiveness in a more sheltered role. He led the Wings in ice time last season, playing well over 20 minutes per game, and frequently matched up with the opposition's top line. That's more than he can likely handle at this point in his career, but Kronwall still possesses the goods to be a solid defenseman in the right environment.

It falls on coach Jeff Blashill to figure out just what that environment is. Tonight's game against the Jets will provide an early glimpse into his vision for the Wings' longest-tenured defenseman.