Draper, Hasek out; Helm, Howard called up
A lot of comings and goings and coming backs at Thursday's Red Wings morning skate, which was a busy one. The Wings brought in forward Darren Helm and goalie Jimmy Howard from Grand Rapids to take the place of Kris Draper (groin) and Dominik Hasek (back). Draper originally felt discomfort in his groin during the western Canada road trip Feb. 22-26, but played through it. The groin never loosened up Wednesday at practice and an ultrasound revealed a small tear, but nothing that should keep Draper out of the line-up for more than a few days. "From when I played in Edmonton (Feb. 26) up until late in the Chicago game (Tuesday) I hadn't really felt it until late in the Chicago game," Draper said. "It didn't loosen up for me (Wednesday) and they sent me for an ultrasound. They found a small tear from what happened on the West Coast trip. If I continued to play it would gradually get worse, but I have to time to rest and heal and that's what I'll do." General manager Ken Holland said the Wings were confident they'd bring up Helm to replace Draper on the drive to watch the Griffins play Wednesday night. After watching Helm score two goals and have two assists, they knew the decision was the right one. "When you see him have his best game as a pro, it solidifies the decision," Holland said. Ironically Helm is often compared to Draper, a fast skater who can hound the puck, is strong defensively, and can contribute offensively. Hasek wasn't on the ice at the morning skate and is regarded as day to day, by coach Mike Babcock. No determination has been made whether Hasek will be available to play in either f the two games this weekend. Also on a busy Thursday morning forward Darren McCarty (ribs) took part in the morning skate, his first time on the ice with the Wings. "It felt good to be back out there," said McCarty, although there's no timetable as to when McCarty will be in the line up.
