Wings' Green could miss start of the season due to strange reason

This is not the news the fanbase in Detroit wants to hear... According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Red Wings defenseman Mike Green may miss the start of the season. 

Strangely, despite a long offseason seeing that the Wings did not clinch a playoff spot this spring, Green could miss the start of the season after fatigue led to blood work, and subsequently an appointment with a specialist. 

General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press Green “hasn’t had a lot of energy. He’s trying to see a doctor today or Monday.”

At first, it was believed that Green could have a virus, but “we don’t really know the extent of exactly what he has got,” Holland said. “But we are shutting him down pending what information we get from a specialist.” 

It was however a tough summer for the veteran blue liner, who underwent neck surgery in the spring. At the time, he was not expected to be sidelined for the preseason, and even less likely that he would miss the start of the campaign, however now, things have changed for the worst. Green's absence leaves the Red Wings with five NHL regulars on the back end — Trevor Daley, Danny DeKeyser, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Nick Jensen.

If we look on the bright side, it means the Wings are likely to keep two defense prospects on their roster. The team's first round pick in the 2016 draft, Dennis Cholowski, is a likely candidate to crack the opening night roster if Green cannot suit up. Other candidates include Libor Sulak, Filip Hronek and Joe Hicketts.

“Now we have five D, and we are probably going to start with seven,” Holland said. “Now, how long is Mike Green out? Certainly it appears he is going to be out for a little period of time. So probably we are going to start with two of these defense prospects - either Sulak or Hicketts or Cholowski or Hronek.” 

We are expected to find out more about Green's condition once he meets with the specialist and once his blood reveal more information on his health status. As of now, we bet Red Wings' fans are awaiting news, hoping for the best but preparing for the worse...