The Detroit Red Wings will be without one of their top talents to start the season as Mike Green has been sidelined indefinitely.
“He’s got a virus that attacked his liver, so he’s seen an infectious disease person today and we should know more here in the next little bit,” Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters Friday. “I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. I don’t know the totality of it. He’s got a virus.”
Green underwent off-season neck surgery to repair a herniated disc and the defenceman was cleared for contract prior to training camp. However, early in camp Green had been feeling fatigued so he informed his coaches and they sent him back to team doctors to get some blood work done.
“The plan was to ramp him up and play him the two of the last three pre-season games,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said via mlive.com’s Ansar Khan. “As we got into camp and were on the ice two, three, four days he didn’t feel like he had his energy, he felt a little bit fatigued. Our doctors did some initial blood work, and now we’re trying to get him to see a doctor today or Monday gather more information.”
Green led the Red Wings in ice-time and was tops among their blueliners with 33 points in 66 games in 2017-18. It remains unclear when the 32-year-old will be ready to make his 2018-19 debut.
“Our doctors have told him to stay off the ice until we know exactly why he doesn’t quite feel like he’s got all his energy,” Holland added.
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