Detroit Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg’s lengthy recovery from an undisclosed American Hockey League playoff injury hasn’t been big news in light of Dylan Larkin’s request to be traded and Steve Yzerman’s departure.
But the relevance will be clearer when Genborg is still in Sweden when the Red Wings begin training camp Sept. 17.
The plan was always for Genborg to play for Timra this season. But the heavy-hitting forward was impressive enough last season that the Red Wings were looking forward to seeing him play NHL preseason games. He certainly didn’t look out of place (one goal, two assists, eight penalty minutes) in 11 regular-season with Grand Rapid Griffins last spring.
The Griffins were going to use him in the playoffs, but he was injured in his first postseason contest.
Still Not Cleared to Play Games
In an interview with Sundsvalls Tidning last week, Genborg discussed his situation. His agent, Joakim Persson, confirmed he would not be going to Detroit and would be playing in Timra. It’s not as if Genborg, 19, was going to win an NHL job in three days of training camp and a four-game preseason schedule. But a new director of hockey operations is taking over, and nobody knows what direction the team is heading this season.
It’s a missed opportunity for Genborg to show a new boss what he can do.
The projection on Genborg is that he will be a physically aggressive third liner. However, he showed more offensive ability (nine goals, 25 points in 43 games) than expected in Timra last season.
“Based on the communication we have now, (going to Detroit training camp) is not an option,” Persson told Sundsvalls Tiding. He still belongs to the Detroit Red Wings. They have the last word, but we are not there in the conversations that have been had.”
Genborg is practicing but has not been cleared to play any SHL preseason games. The SHL regular-season starts Sept. 19.