Already reeling, the Detroit Red Wings revealed another piece of bad news Friday: Bobby Ryan is done for the season.
That was the message delivered by coach Jeff Blashill after an energetic practice in preparation for Saturday’s game at the Carolina Hurricanes. The Wings are coming off a 7-1 loss to Nashville on Thursday, which marked the one-month countdown to the end of the season.
Ryan hasn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury March 28. He had been practicing, but suffered a setback — and now he might need surgery.
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“He was making progress,” Blashill said. “Originally, we thought it was a minor thing. He battled a little bit of a back issue most of the season that he’s never had in his career. As you get older, sometimes you get more nagging injuries.
“It’s tough one.”
Ryan, 34, had seven goals and seven assists in 33 games.
The Wings already have been without Tyler Bertuzzi since Jan. 30. A return hasn’t been ruled out, but he has yet to practice with the team, and time is runn
At least for Saturday’s game, the Wings will also be without forwards Robby Fabbri and Sam Gagner and defenseman Patrik Nemeth.
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Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.