Valtteri Filppula injury: Red Wings forward to miss 6-8 weeks with sprained MCL

Detroit Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula suffered a sprained MCL while playing for Jokerit in the Finnish Elite League, and will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, according to Michigan Live's Ansar Khan.

With talks between the NHL and NHLPA still seemingly at a crawl, it seems unlikely that Filppula will miss much time, if any, when and if the 2012-13 NHL season gets underway.

Filppula will be eligible for free agency after this season, and will want to put his best skate forward for the Red Wings, as he looks to cash in on another multi-year, multi-million dollar contract next summer.

It's unfortunate for the Red Wings and Filppula alike that the injury occurred -- especially in a game that is entirely meaningless in the grand scheme of Filppula's career.

Filppula, who turns 29 in March, scored 23 goals and notched 43 assists for the Red Wings during the 2011-12 season.