Frk has made team

Contract holdout Andreas Athanasiou is still nowhere to be seen, and that means it’s Martin Frk’s time to shine. Though they won’t officially confirm it, the Wings have told forward Frk that he has made the team. Wings coach Jeff Blashill raved about Frk’s play after Friday’s preseason loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Caesars Arena. “I thought Ferkie (Frk) was good again,… Blashill said. “Obviously, he just missed by a couple of inches there in the third with the goalie pulled. He’s got a real weapon. “The only good power play we had I thought was in the first he was able to get a number of shots off against a real team. They’ve got to be one of the teams picked to be in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, and he showed very well.… From his time as Detroit’s AHL Grand Rapids Griffins farm club, Blashill is well-versed in Frk’s history and the 23-year-old’s battle to make it first at the AHL level and now as an NHLer. “Him and I have a long history,… Blashill said. “He spent time in (ECHL) Toledo. The two biggest factors in individual success are work ethic and perseverance and he’s shown tons of that. He looks like a guy that can help our team potentially be better. “He can provide some scoring but also provide forecheck pressure and back-check pressure.… Kronwall Hurt Well, that didn’t take long. One game back from an issue with back spasms that kept him out of all Detroit’s training camp, defenseman Niklas Kronwall is hurt again. Kronwall suffered a groin injury in his first preseason appearance Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s uncertain whether Kronwall will be good to go for Thursday’s season opener against the Minnesota Wild, the first regular-season game slated for LCA. “He’s got a little bit of a lower body setback, not related to his knee or his back,… Blashill said. “He tweaked his groin. It’s day to day, so we’ll see where he’s at next week. “At the end of the day he’s going to have to practice Tuesday in order to be ready Thursday, in my mind. … Defenseman Nick Jensen (thumb) is also an uncertain starter for the opener. “I can’t answer that today,… Blashill said. “I expect him to be ready, my thought process is he’s going to be ready. We’re being very precautionary right now, but I can’t guarantee it.… Roster Moves As the season nears, three more players were demoted Saturday by the Red Wings. The Wings assigned defensemen Filip Hronek and Robbie Russo to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and released center Corey Elkins from his professional tryout Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer