COLUMBUS, Ohio — Martin Frk is trying to reboot his status with the Detroit Red Wings.

He has been a spare part during October, and it’s taken a toll on his confidence. He was slotted to play in Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but that was because both Frans Nielsen and Andreas Athanasiou were injured. Frk had only played twice through the first 11 games.

“It’s hard,” he said after the morning skate at Nationwide Arena. “I’m thinking too much. It’s a spot you don’t want to be in. I’m just trying to work hard in practice, off ice. That’s all I can really do. I just have to stay with it and hopefully I can do better every game. But it’s hard right now for me, I feel it, I know it. Pretty much everyone knows it here.”

Frk, 25, has been in the Wings’ system on and briefly off since they drafted him at 49th overall in 2012. He started strong last season — three goals in his first four games, eight through December. But as the goals dried up, Frk was passed on the depth chart by Tyler Bertuzzi. The Wings re-invested in Frk over the summer with a one-year, $1.05 million contract because he’s potentially a 10-12 goal scorer, but an injury during camp cost him crucial audition minutes during the preseason, and he was passed on the depth chart by Michael Rasmussen.

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That’s made for a tough opening month for Frk.

“He has to outplay guys that are ahead of him, number one,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “When he plays in games, he has to outplay those guys and show that him being in the lineup helps us win more than somebody else in the lineup. It’s not always easy to do when you’re in a position like his — when you get in sporadically and when you do get in you don’t play tons — it’s not easy. But the NHL is not easy.

“So when he goes in, he has to play great hockey. What’s great hockey for him? Being real good on the forecheck, skating real hard on the track, because I think his work ethic can separate him. Being strong on the wall in his own end. Use his best asset, which is his shot. Does that mean he has to score? No, that’s a lot to put on a guy to say every time you go in, you have to score. But I’d like to see him hit the net and be a threat there, for sure.”

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Frk was a threat on the power play last season, scoring five goals among nine points. He and fellow right-handed shooter Mike Green clicked at times, with Green timing passes to Frk in the left circle.

“I think Frky does a good job of shooting the puck from that spot,” Green said. “For me it’s just a matter of putting it in a good spot for him to one-time it.”

Even if the puck doesn’t go into the net, Frk’s shot has the ability, if accurate, to create chaos because “he is one of the rare shots in the league that it’s hard for the goalie to just swallow up and control the rebound,” Blashill said.

Frk is known for how hard he can shoot the puck, but he’s made adjustments to try to improve accuracy.

“I don’t shoot as hard any more,” he said. “I try to just let the stick do the work, because when I try to go hard, it always go up, so when I take a little bit off of it, the power, it usually goes right on the target. That’s the thing I’m trying to focus on. I just try to go low, like mid-body, for the goalies. That’s what I’m trying to do the most right now.”

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