Notes: Jake Chelios to make NHL debut with Red Wings against Devils

DETROIT -- Another day, another new defenseman in the lineup for the Detroit Red Wings.
Of course, when your last name is Chelios, you're not just another defenseman.

Veteran defenseman Jonathan Ericsson left Thursday night's game in Buffalo with a lower-body injury and Wings coach Jeff Blashill said he is not available to play tonight at home against the New Jersey Devils.
"Jake Chelios will play," Blashill said. "He's done a good job down in GR (Grand Rapids), done a good job over the years in the American League in Charlotte previous to this. I thought he played well in the preseason so he'll get a chance to play here tonight."

Chelios, 28, is the son of former Wings defenseman Chris Chelios, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He will be making his NHL debut after playing 294 American Hockey League games with Chicago, Charlotte and Grand Rapids.
When Jake Chelios plays tonight, he and Chris will become the sixth father-son combination in Wings history, joining Sid and Gerry Abel, Adam and Andy Brown, Bill and Peter Dineen, Gordie and Mark Howe and Jim Peters Sr. and Jr.
"Smart, just a guy who does a lot of good things well, manages situations well," Blashill said. "I don't think there's any one thing that jumps off the page at you. But I think he just does a lot of little things well and as such is the type of player who's had success at every level he's been at. Hopefully he can come here tonight and play real well."
Although some might wonder why players like Dylan McIlrath and Chelios are in Detroit as opposed to Joe Hicketts and Dennis Cholowski, Blashill said there are reasons for this besides rewarding McIlrath and Chelios for their hard work.
"I think every player you take is an individual approach," Blashill said. "In Hicketts' case, No. 1, he did get a good opportunity at the beginning of the year. So it's not like he has gone without opportunity. And he may still get an opportunity. We'll see how the rest of the year goes.
"Dennis is different. It's very important for us that every decision we make with Dennis is for his long-term, the best long-term approach for his development. We sent him down there for a reason, to get better defensively. I think in the last couple games he's made strides that way. Previously to that, he still hadn't gotten to those strides that we wanted him to take. So I'm not going to have him back up here until he gets to that point where he's making those strides on a consistent basis because otherwise, the move won't bear the fruits that you want it to bear, which is for him to be a more complete player.
"Ultimately, I think Dennis is going to be a real good player. I think he's got really good talent but in the end, we need him to be a real good two-way player, can't be a player who only produces offensively but digs it out of your net lots. So it's just part of the maturation process. For him, it's a totally different situation. We want to make sure we're doing everything best for his long-term development."

Also departing Thursday night's game with an injury was center Frans Nielsen, who will join Ericsson on the sidelines.
Martin Frk, called up under emergency conditions, will be in the lineup.
DEVILS BANGED UP: Although the Wings have had more than their fair share of injuries with 233 man-games lost, the New Jersey Devils have had it worse.
Entering Friday's game, they have 334 man-games missed.
One of the main injuries has been to star forward Taylor Hall, who has missed 42 games with a lower-body injury.
"That's a big player for them," Blashill said. "It shows you what an elite player does to your team. I've said it lots, that's what separates the league a lot of time are elite players. They're not going to use that as an excuse but it's reality. When he's in, they're a better hockey team than when he's not in. That's just a fact of life. I talked to their captain today a little bit, Andy Greene, whom I coached in college, I have a really good relationship with and one thing he said is they've continued to really work and compete.
"I think the same could be said of our guys. So we got to make sure we're ready to work and compete against these guys. Neither of our lineups are at full strength, but I think we've shown over the course of the last six or seven games that when you work and compete and play a good brand of hockey and get really good goaltending, you got a chance to win games and I think the same will be true of them so we're going to have to be ready to work and compete."
The Devils are last in the Metropolitan Division at 29-39-9.
Greene, whom Blashill coached at Miami University from 2002-06, and Blashill remain close.
"I love Andy Greene, he's one of my favorite players I've ever coached, one of the best college players in my time. Unbelievable person. Had a heck of a career. He's very, very, very underrated. When they played Tampa in the playoffs, I talked to Jon Cooper and Jon thought that Andy was the Devils' best defenseman. He's a really, really good player."