Detroit Red Wings Injury Rumors: Drew Miller Placed on Long-Term IR
The Detroit Red Wings lose a vital piece of its rotation after Drew Miller tore a meniscus on his knee, forcing the team to place him on the long-term injured reserve. The announcement was made by team officials last Monday, with additional information that defenseman Kyle Quincey has been activated to take his place.
The injury to Miller represents the kind of season he has faced this year. Before the injury last Sunday in the Red Wings' victory over Anaheim, the 31-year-old winger was just fresh from recovering from a broken lower jaw that sidelined him for 14 games. He only played in 28 games this season so far, producing one goal and one assist. He is expected to go back to Detroit to be further evaluated.
The team said that the lower-injury may not be as serious as they originally feared, but an MRI will be able to determine with certainty the extent of the damage. General Manager Ken Holland said that the MRI may be performed in Phoenix or in LA based on which will yield faster results.
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Miller missing more time is a big blow to Detroit because he's an integral part of the penalty killing squad. The fact is the team went down from being one of the best in penalty killing percentage teams in the entire NHL to becoming one of the worst when Miller missed those games because of the jaw injury.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, he first played for the Anaheim Ducks. Another Miller, his brother Ryan, is playing professional hockey as a goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks.
And because the Red Wings already placed him on the injured reserve list, it means that they will be freeing about one million in salary cap space, which allows them to sign another player.
