Veteran forward Kris Draper has missed most of training camp and the exhibition season with a groin tear, and he may miss some of the regular season as well.
The tear was discovered during an ultrasound on Friday, and that’s much worse than Draper originally anticipated.
“There’s definitely something going on in there,” Draper said.
“The good thing is, after Sunday’s preseason game, we don’t play till Friday, but I’m not kidding myself,” Draper said. “I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, with what these guys have been going through and playing games."
There’s also the competition factor. Draper is fighting with four other guys for three spots on the team’s fourth line. If he misses time into the regular season schedule, there’s a good chance his spot might be gone by that time anyway.
“The one thing I can control is, when I do come back, there’s no setbacks. Mentally, there’s not a chance I could handle that. I gotta be patient with it, be smart with it, so that’s why I haven’t put a time limit. I haven’t really thought that far.”
Draper is a veteran and with the plethora of talent at Detroit’s disposal, there’s no way he’s going to rush back into action without being 100 percent.