Report: Important update on the status of Johan Franzen.

It appears that Johan Franzen will live up to his moniker of "The Mule", as the stubborn forward simply refuses to give up on the game he loves. Despite rampant rumors of retirement and crippling effects of multiple concussions sustained throughout his career, Franzen is hell-bent on returning to the Detroit Red Wings at the beginning of next season. “I’m told he’s working out every day,” GM Ken Holland told MLive yesterday. “The expectation is that over the course of the summer, he’s going to be healthy. “I expect to see him in training camp. I expect to see him playing hockey next year. Until I hear otherwise, that’s how I’m going to proceed.” Franzen missed the entire second half of this past season with a concussion, finishing 2014-15 with seven goals and 15 assists in 33 games for Detroit. Franzen, 35 has suffered at least 10 concussions and was reportedly bedridden for two months and fighting off constant headaches.

Helene St James had written a piece on how these injuries were affecting his everyday life and ability to be a good husband and father to his two kids:

But 4-year-old Eddie Bo and nearly 2-year-old Oliver Gunnar? Franzen couldn’t explain to them why he spent afternoons in bed, why he went from doing something every day to doing nothing, why he couldn’t pick them up and toss them in the air and catch them.

“To see the disappointment in their eyes when (they ask), ‘Dad, why can’t you play with us?’ It breaks your heart,” Franzen said Wednesday. “It’s a lot better now. Now I can do all that stuff, and it feels really good.”

“This time was scary,” he said. “For two months, not being able to pick up your kids, or play with your kids, for more than 2 minutes — it makes you think a little bit. I was in a really dark place, maybe not the first month because then you still think it’s going to get better, but then when it doesn’t get better, you kind of start wondering.”

It's good to see that Franzen believes he can continue playing, but one has to wonder how much "The Mule" has left in the tank.

Would you want to see Franzen back next season?