Kronwall out 4-8 weeks

The Red Wings received some bad news today, as defenseman Niklas Kronwall will reportedly miss over a month due to a sprained ligament in his right knee (presumably MCL). He injured it in this knee-on-knee collision with Montreal’s Georges Laraque…

Whether it was dirty or not, the Wings have lost a key cog on their blue-line. Kronwall is in the midst of a career year, with 13 points in 21 games. You can make the argument that he has been their most important defender thus far, even more than Nicklas Lidstrom. Who knew we’d be saying that at any point during Lidstrom’s illustrious career?

It's time for guys like Jonathan Ericsson and Brett Lebda to step up. Kronwall will be on the shelf next to Franzen and Filppula for a while, and will be sorely missed.