Green To Return Against Jets

Mike Green will be back on the Detroit Red Wings’ defense Friday as they face the Winnipeg Jets, but the real question is, would Green even still be a Red Wing were it not for the neck injury that cost him the past seven games? The Wings were prepared to move the impending unrestricted free agent, and Green had already waived his no-trade clause to permit a deal to the Tampa Bay Lightning or his old team, the Washington Capitals, but then Green was hurt Feb. 15 - ironically against the Lightning - when checked by Tampa Bay forward Adam Erne. “Obviously it was bad timing,… Green told Detroitredwings.com. “At the end of the day, it is what it is. I’m here and I’m focused and I’m happy, so I move forward.… The injury was a flare up of an ailment that bothered Green last season, and it scared off potential trade partners, who feared that it might be a chronic problem that could sideline the defenseman during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Instead, Green finds himself seeking to help the Wings in their desperate - and growing more futile by the day - bid to climb back into a playoff spot. “I think the No. 1 thing for him is he loves being a Red Wing,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “He loves being here, loves being part of the group. He thinks the culture in our locker room is special, as I do, so he loves being here. “I think the hardest thing to deal with at times is the fear of the unknown. So, the fact is he knows what’s going on here for the next 19 games or so and hopefully into the playoffs.… While he understood the machinations taking place to move Green in order to improve Detroit’s lot for the future, selfishly, Blashill admitted to delight in the knowledge that he will still have his most skilled offensive defender to suit up and send over the boards. “I certainly understand management’s perspective, but from the coach’s perspective you hope to keep everybody - especially on the back end - and you want to make as good a push as you can to the playoffs,… Blashill said. “I think you saw when we lost Johnny Ericsson last year (to a season-ending injury, (and) traded Brendan Smith (to the New York Rangers), it got harder on the back end. I think keeping a guy on the back end like that is a real plus for us.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer