Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Henrik Zetterberg touched on topics from his knee to his age, the latter tinged with humor thanks to the big redhead running Detroit Red Wings teammates through an informal practice today at Joe Louis Arena.

The Wings are less than two weeks from the start of training camp, but a knee injury sustained during an off-season workout leaves Zetterberg doubtful to partake when players begin scrimmages Sept. 23 in Traverse City. His decision to forgo what likely was his last chance to play for his native Sweden, however, should translate into good news for the Wings.

“I think now, when I said no to the World Cup, it gives me time to come back 100% for the season starting,” Zetterberg said today. “We've got plenty of time now, and I didn't have that if I was going to the World Cup.”

Zetterberg won't be skating until he's pain-free, but he had a good laugh upon seeing forward Johan Franzen lead guys through drills today. Franzen’s career has been derailed by several head injuries, but he remains a part of the team -- which thrills Zetterberg because Franzen is a year older.

“I'm not the oldest guy on the roster, at least,” Zetterberg said, smiling. “But it's getting closer.”

To that point, Zetterberg, who turns 36 in October, was asked whether his role needs to change. He has been a workhorse for a decade but has been disappointed in how he has dropped off during the second half of the last two seasons. He’s hoping to change that by figuring out how to better manage his time off of the ice.

“Find different ways to be fresh,” Zetterberg said. “That's what's gotten me the last two years, I ran out of gas. You can't play hockey in this level when you run out of gas. So that's one thing we're going to play around with.”

Another possibility is playing more on the wing, as that involves less skating than at center.

“If you're a winger, you don't work as much in your own end as if you're a centerman,” Zetterberg said. “We'll see how much winger and how much center I will play. The workload would probably be a little bit less if I'm a winger.”

Zetterberg is at an age now where playing a little bit less starts to come naturally, provided there is a push from below -- just like Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, when they were in their mid-20s, pushed their elders. Dylan Larkin pushed for minutes last season, and Andreas Athanasiou could do likewise this autumn, given his speed.

“As a player, as soon as you hear 'less minutes,' you're not happy,” Zetterberg said. “I don't think I will go and tell Coach I need less minutes. But if he decides that I need to play less or get some rest dates, I'm open to listen to that.

“We want to see the younger guys take steps and kind of take minutes from the older guys. But I won't give it away, they have to earn it. That's part of the transition. I went through it when I came in and started to play more. But you have to earn it.”

The off-season saw the departure of Zetterberg's longtime favorite linemate, as Datsyuk returned to his native Russia a year before his NHL contract expires. Datsyuk had confided in Zetterberg about wanting to leave a couple of years ago, but it still was tough to see.

“With Pav, I don't think you know for 100% anything, but I knew,” Zetterberg said. “It was hard. But in the same way, it was kind of nice for me to know, I knew what we had to deal with last year. It was time. He felt that he was ready to move home to his family and play hockey in the KHL.”

One of the people brought in to balm the loss is Zetterberg's new stallmate: Frans Nielsen, a fellow Scandinavian who's from Denmark.

“Frans and I know each other, he played back in Sweden, his wife is from my hometown in Sweden, so we know each other,” Zetterberg said. "I think he was a great addition. Probably one of the most underrated players in the league. We're thrilled to have him on our team.”

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Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.