Red Wings recall Jimmy Howard, place Jonathan Ericsson on long-term IR

By @StefanKubus –

It seems the Detroit Red Wings are close to getting Jimmy Howard back from injury.

Detroit announced a pair of roster moves Friday afternoon that saw Jimmy Howard recalled from Grand Rapids and defenseman Jonathan Ericsson placed on long-term injured reserve.

Howard played in two games with Grand Rapids after being reassigned for conditioning on Feb. 4 – to prepare for his return to Detroit – and posted a 1-1-0 record. However, after leaving the Griffins’ game Wednesday with an injury, he will remain on injured reserve.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings lost Ericsson early in Thursday night’s loss to the Washington Capitals. Per a report from MLive, Wings GM Ken Holland said Ericsson suffered a fractured wrist and is expected to miss 12 weeks, essentially ending his season.

The Wings are carrying six other healthy defensemen currently, not including Niklas Kronwall who often sits out every few games to rest his knee.