Detroit Red Wings Get Bad News on Three Injured Players

The Detroit Red Wings are coming off an impressive shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers, but head coach Todd McLellan delivered some unfortunate injury news Wednesday afternoon.

Defenseman Albert Johansson has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks, while forwards Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton remain approximately two weeks away from returning.

There was, however, some encouraging news regarding Dylan Larkin.

Albert Johansson Ruled Out, No Return Timeline

According to Wednesday's injury update from Max Bultman , Johansson will miss Thursday's game after suffering an injury during Detroit's 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

McLellan has not provided a timetable for the 25-year-old defenseman's return.

Johansson also missed Monday's 4-3 shootout victory over Edmonton, leaving Detroit without another regular contributor on the blue line.

The injury creates an additional challenge for McLellan, who has already been forced to make several lineup adjustments this season. William Wallinder and Andreas Englund are among the defensemen who could see additional opportunities while Johansson remains unavailable.

For now, the extent of Johansson's injury remains unclear.

Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton Still Weeks Away

The news wasn't particularly encouraging for Kasper or Appleton, either.

McLellan said both forwards are "probably two weeks away" from returning to action.

Kasper has been sidelined since early October with an upper-body injury, while Appleton has also been unavailable for several weeks because of an undisclosed injury.

As we previously reported , Kasper's absence created an immediate opening down the middle of Detroit's lineup and forced McLellan to experiment with Emmitt Finnie at center.

The Red Wings have continued adjusting their forward combinations, but getting both players healthy would provide some much-needed depth.

Their projected returns are not guaranteed, although McLellan's latest comments offer a clearer picture of when they might be available.

The Red Wings will now prepare for Thursday's matchup against Chicago without Johansson, Kasper, and Appleton.

With Detroit continuing to navigate several injury concerns , McLellan will need his available players to continue stepping up.

And while the injury report wasn't entirely encouraging, at least one mystery surrounding Wednesday's practice has been resolved.