Valtteri Filppula Likely Will Play In Finland During NHL Lockout

With the NHL heading towards a possible lockout that could extend well into the season, Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula is expected to head to Finland if the Red Wings are not able to resume this fall according to MLive.com's Ansar Khan.

Filppula tallied a career-high 66 points in 81 games with the Wings last season, and emerged as one of the team's premier scoring threats with 23 goals. Along with a number of other NHL players who are eager to stay fresh while the NHL labor dispute rages on, Filppula will return to his native country to hone his skills and remain close to family.

In addition to Filppula likely making the trip overseas in the coming days, Khan also reports that promising Detroit winger Justin Abdelkader is also interested in joining a European team during the lockout.

Stay with this StoryStream for more lockout news related to the Wings, and be sure to visit Winging It In Motown for more Red Wings coverage. Also visit SB Nation's NHL hub for even more news around the league.