Things were going so well for Darren Helm.
Signed to a new five-year free-agent deal, the Detroit Red Wings forward had four goals, seven points and a team-leading plus-six rating through the first 16 games of the season.
It was too good to be true.
Tuesday, the oft-injured Helm was pulverized by a bodycheck from Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nikita Nesterov and the end result was that Helm suffered a dislocated left shoulder and will likely be on the shelf until the New Year.
“He’ll be out a minimum of six weeks,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill confirmed, adding that it was unlikely that Helm, who underwent an MRI Wednesday, would require surgery. “Right now no. Then we’ll evaluate as we move along but right now no on surgery. But I don’t know that answer 100 per cent.
“I know it’s a minimum of six weeks regardless of if he were to have surgery or not have surgery.…
One of the main reasons the Wings decided to sign Helm when he headed into unrestricted free agency during the summer was that their gameplan was to play with speed this season and Helm is one of the faster players in the league.
It seemed to be an effective in implementation when Helm got off to a flying start but he was pointless in his last nine games and the Wings were 2-6-1 in that span.
Minus Helm, Detroit will be required to go back to the drawing board.
“We’ve got multiple options between (Riley) Sheahan, (Luke) Glendening,… Blashill said. “(Steve) Ott has played lots of center in his career, so we have multiple options that we’ll look at and make our decision.
“We’ll look at some stuff in practice, then we’ll make our decision Friday.…
The Wings planned to call up a forward from AHL Grand Rapids on Thursday to fill the open roster spot and play Friday at Washington against the Capitals. Right-winger Thomas Vanek is expected to return to action Sunday as the Wings play host to the Calgary Flames at Joe Louis Arena.
As much as he feels for Helm, Blashill also recognized the cutthroat reality that in pro sports, one player’s adversity is another player’s opportunity.
“Helmer’s a real effective player for us, brings energy, wins puck battles, gives you tons of speed,… Blashill said. “So he’s a big piece of our team for sure. But this is the NHL, you’ve got to find ways with other guys to go in and win.
“Personally, I just feel real bad for Darren Helm. He’s had a tough go over the last number of years. He’s got to keep his head up and keep plugging and just try to get himself mentally in a spot where he can be ready when he comes back. That’s my biggest thing, I would say, just that you hate to see it happen to a guy again so it’s unfortunate.…
Life of Riley? One player who could seize on the opportunity presented by Helm’s absence is Sheahan, who is still without a goal 16 games into the season.
“It’s going to hurt us,… Sheahan said of Helm’s loss. “It really sucks. He had a great start. He’s obviously has had a little bit of a history with injuries. The guys feel bad for him. We’re going to be there for him and hopefully he can get back sooner than expected.…
Moving back to center, Sheahan figures to be more involved in the action.
“It’s going to be a little different,… Sheahan said. “I need to be more responsible in the D zone. It’s just about being able to engage yourself on faceoffs and be part of the play down low and D zone corners, things like that. It’s something that I like.
“Maybe the change will be good. We’ll see how it goes.
Sheahan admitted the goose egg next to his name in the goal column is a source of frustration.
“When you’re a forward you want to be putting points up,… Sheahan said. “You can’t let it get to your head. It’s a team game and everyone has their role. We win as a team; we lose as a team. We just have to keep focused on playing better. If we can all do that we can pull out some wins here.…
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