It was bad enough that the Red Wings lost to the Stars last night after being dominated, but even worse was that they lost Johan Franzen during the game. Franzen took an elbow to the face in the first period and had to be helped off the ice. He left the game and didn't return, and afterward he said he has a concussion.
Franzen said he felt "not too bad," when he talked immediately following the game. He is to undergo further evaluations today. [...]
"Hopefully, it’s not too many games," Franzen said. "I feel OK right now, so hopefully it won’t take too long. Do some tests and try to get back as soon as possible." "It’s a lot better than last year."
Mike Babcock was hesitant to classify Franzen's injury as a concussion and said that he'll wait for the doctors to evaluate him further before dealing with it. If Franzen does in fact have a concussion, then he could be looking at missing a week of play at the very least. He has a history with concussions, though, so you always have to be extra careful when dealing with a head injury like this (just ask Andreas Lilja).
Franzen has been arguably the Wings' top player this season. Although we are only a week in, Detroit can't afford to lose someone like him for an extended period of time, so hopefully he won't miss too many games because of this injury.