Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Aside from the free agent additions that they’ve made this summer, including the likes of Stephen Weiss and Daniel Alfredsson, one of the more intriguing situations surrounding the Detroit Red Wings has been the health of Darren Helm, who appeared in only one game during the 2013 season.
Helm has had some real issues with his back, which have continued on into the summer. As we approach the end of July, his status is still a bit up in the air, but the results are looking promising. An injury that occurred during lifting in the preseason led to Helm missing all but one game during the season.
He skated a bit, but it wasn’t until the last few weeks that he’s been able to do more out on the ice. At the Red Wings’ prospect camp, Helm hit the ice with the youngsters. At that point, it had been two months since he had stepped out on the ice. While he wasn’t able to take part in everything, it did help to lead to a more positive outlook for next season.
There’s still a bit of a ways to go for Helm, who didn’t really take any sort of content or take part in scrimmages during prospect camp. But he’s remained optimistic throughout the summer that he could be ready for training camp. If he is, he could put a string of recent injuries behind him, none causing him to miss more time than the back injury suffered earlier this year.
Getting Helm back would be a tremendous boost to the Red Wings, and could end up being a key to their success. He’d give them a capable third line center, as a guy that can come in and add 30 or so points, win over half of his draws, and play that gritty style, making him a tough guy to play against.
There’s still a ways to go for Darren Helm in his recovery, but if he continues to improve, he may very well be ready for training camp. He’s a presence the Red Wings could certainly use, and they’d be much better off to start the year if he’s ready to start on time.
