You’ve probably already seen this (been at in-law’s all day), but I’ll relay it anyway: The latest on Nik is that he’s got a severe knee sprain and is out 4-8 weeks. It sucks to lose him for any length of time, but that sure beats 4-6 months.

In the meantime, it looks like the Wings will give Meech a try on the third pairing. Ericsson will see time with Stuart, which should lead to a better improvement curve for him.

If Meech isn’t panning out, who knows what they’ll do? Calling someone up wouldn’t automatically be an improvement over Meech, but Kronwall’s not really out long enough to make bringing in outside help worth it.