The Detroit Red Wings just got Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton back from injured reserve ahead of tonight's game in St. Louis.
Both are centers, and both return as Detroit tries to stop a three-game losing streak.
The Red Wings made it official this afternoon.
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The club announced that both players have been activated from IR. That is all the post says, so what role either one gets against the Blues is still unknown.
Kasper's timeline moved up. The injury report had listed him with an upper-body injury and out until at least Nov 14. Appleton had been listed as out until at least Nov 10, which is today.
The two have barely played this season. Kasper has one game and five penalty minutes, while Appleton has two games and no points. Neither has had a chance to settle in.
Detroit needs bodies down the middle. The Red Wings are 7-8-3, sit 8th in the Atlantic Division, and were shut out 4-0 in Colorado on Saturday.
What Kasper and Appleton change for Detroit
Kasper is 22, and Detroit took him 8th overall in 2022. He has 28 goals and 28 assists in 160 career games, so the production is still waiting to arrive. He gets a young center's chance to push for a bigger role.
Appleton is the veteran. The 30-year-old has 63 goals and 89 assists in 467 career games, and he was a sixth-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in 2015. He gives Todd McLellan a seasoned option for the bottom of the lineup.
Detroit has scored 49 goals and allowed 56 this season, a minus-7 goal differential. Getting two centers back won't fix that on its own. But a team 24th in the NHL cannot keep icing a thin lineup and hope it sorts itself out.
The Red Wings are 3-3-2 on the road. Whether McLellan drops both players straight into the lineup against the Blues is the question to watch at puck drop.
Quick hits
WINNIPEG JETS: Josh Morrissey is off injured reserve and plays tonight against the Devils. That's a major boost for the Jets' blue line, and it arrives on a night that already has plenty of storylines.
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MINNESOTA WILD: Michael Russo reports that Jared Spurgeon will come off injured reserve and return tonight in Montreal. The Wild get their blue line back at the right time.
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HOMECOMING: Connor Hellebuyck broke his silence in Winnipeg, hours before his Devils face the Jets. He said things happened to his family that crossed the line. Expect that to hang over tonight's game.
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Andrew Gross reports that Mathew Barzal, Matias Maccelli and Ryan Pulock were all in regular practice jerseys in San Jose this morning. That's three good signs for the Islanders.
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LOS ANGELES KINGS: Zach Dooley confirms that Mats Zuccarello returns to the Kings' lineup tonight against the Predators. A nice lift for a big game.
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This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Will Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton help the Red Wings snap their three-game skid in St. Louis?
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