Franzen For The Finals?
The persistent headaches that have bothered Johan Franzen for nearly three weeks have dissipated, according to his teammate and close friend, Niklas Kronwall.
"Most of it is gone -- pretty damn close, anyway," said Kronwall, who dropped by Franzen's house for a visit after Saturday's Game 5 in Detroit.
Now the question is just how darn close Franzen might be to returning to the lineup. Franzen was given medical clearance to resume workouts last week, but he hasn't skated in 10 days and he's still limited to "light exertion," Wings general manager Ken Holland said Monday morning.
The five day layoff between series certainly helps, but the medical protocol with concussions -- or concussion-like symptoms -- still requires a player to be symptom-free and passing his neurological baseline tests before he's cleared. "The doctor is the most important person in the organization right now," Babcock said, smiling, after the Game 6 win. "Doesn't matter what I think, really. But we believed that if we could win this round without the Mule, he'd be back for the next round.
"He'll be checked out. If he can go, he'll play. We'd sure love to have him, obviously. He's a huge part of our team. But if he can't go, he can't go."
