Wings forward Jan Mursak suffered a non-displaced ankle fracture in Sunday’s 4-3 preseason shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The good news for Mursak is he will not need surgery during his recovery however the bad news is he is expected to be shelved for the next 2 months.
Mursak, 23 was a popular call up with the Wings last season appearing in 19 games and was expected to win a spot with the team coming out of the preseason. But with this somewhat lengthy injury, it potentially opens the door for some other forwards vying for roster spots.
The players who could benefit from Mursak’s injury include Cory Emmerton, Fabrian Brunnstrom, Chris Conner and Ryan Johnson.
First off the Wings are going to continue to take a good long look at Emmerton. He was originally drafted by the Wings back in 2006 (41st overall) and is currently cannot be sent back down to Grand Rapids without having to be put on waivers. The general consensus surrounding Emmerton was that if he didn’t make the team once the preseason came to an end, he would for sure be on his way out in Detroit. Because of the circumstances surrounding Emmerton’s contract the Wings may opt to keep him on the roster during Mursak’s two-month sideline.
Chris Connor on the other hand is on the other side of the spectrum than Emmerton. The Wings have Connor signed to a two-way contract meaning the Wings can have him start the season with Grand Rapids without having to place him on waivers to do it.
Now Johnson and Brunnstrom present another different circumstance.
Both of these players are signed with the Wings on a tryout basis. This means that the Wings can either opt to sign them to a contract at the end of the preseason or choose to let them walk. Both players also bring two totally different skill sets to the table. When Johnson was signed to a pro-tryout with the Wings back on August 31st, the team really liked his penalty killing and shot blocking capabilities. Brunnstrom on the other hand had a ton of offensive hype when he came into the league back in 2008 with the Stars. The drawback to Brunnstrom though is his lack of defensive skill on the ice.
After Brunnstrom’s humbling NHL career thus far, he has already stated he is willing to basically start in the minors with the Wings and work his way back to the NHL. Now this of course can change as the preseason progresses but the Wings will probably sign Brunnstrom to a two-way contract and have him start the season with Grand Rapids. Johnson is another guy I believe will be offered a two-way contract with the team and it’s up in the air whether or not he would accept those terms.
This I believe leaves Emmerton making the team and filling in for Mursak during those two months. Now of course Emmerton has to prove himself during these remaining preseason games but I don’t think Emmerton is a guy the Wings want to give up just yet.
