Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm sustained an upper-body injury on November 17, 2018 and is expected to miss some time.
Following a 3-2 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on November 17, 2018, it was announced that Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm sustained an upper-body injury that will keep him out for a while. According to Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, Helm will “be out for some time.”
Helm’s injury seemed to have occurred during the first period when Helm was checked against the boards by Devils center Travis Zajac. Although the injury has not been specifically identified, it is presumed to be a right arm or wrist injury.
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He has been with the Wings for twelve years and has served as a crucial part of their penalty kill unit. This will be Helm’s eighth season that he has had to miss playing time due to injuries. At 31 years of age, the likelihood of Helm to continue to get injured and take a while to recover is unfortunately high.
In the 2018-19 season thus far, Helm has played 20 games, scored one goal, recorded five assists, clocked six penalty minutes and has a plus-minus rating of -5. Following the 2018-19 season, Helm has two more years left on his current contract, receiving $3.85 million per season.
Even though Helm has been with the Wings since the 2007-08 season, when he was a member of the Stanley Cup team, he has seen his role slowly diminish. The team has made it clear that they are looking forward and not backward.
This means turning more towards the youth in the system, rather than the veterans. Unfortunately for Helm, he will likely start to be wedged out of ice time as prospects in the Wings’ organization are starting to get more looks and playing time.
There is no question that Helm will be missed on the penalty kill while he is gone, but his role can be filled. It is likely that Luke Witkowski or Wade Megan will fill Helm’s role while he is gone.