Kronwall's back - but is that good news? September 27, 2017, 1:42 PM ET [41 Comments] Bob Duff

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At a certain point in time, Niklas Kronwall stood for everything that was good about the Detroit Red Wings. Being Kronwalled - the victim of one of Kronwall’s punishing bodychecks - was a staple of Red Wing hockey, and it was basically a symbol of what the powerful Wings did to the rest of the NHL.



They Kronwalled every team that stood in their way.



Today, as he stands on creaky knees awaiting his first action of the NHL preseason, Kronwall, 36, is a symbol of how it’s all gone wrong for this franchise.



He is physically infirm, uncertain of his playing status from one day to the next. Yet he remains part of the team, partially because of how thin Detroit is on the blue line, but mostly because he is one of many Wings connected to appallingly long contracts and the Wings are a franchise that is loyal to a fault to their veteran players.



In 20011, Kronwall signed a seven-year, $33.25-million pact with the club. They locked him up for his best years, and left themselves locked in for his worst years.



It’s a scenario that figures to play out with a number of players over the next several years, from captain Henrik Zetterberg, to forwards Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm and Luke Glendening, as well as defenseman Jonathan Ericsson.



Kronwall intends to play Thursday against Chicago and at least one of the last two preseason games against Toronto, either Friday at Little Caesars Arena or more likely, Saturday at the Air Canada Centre, since it’s unlikely the team will want to throw him into back-to-backs right off the bat.



“You can practice until you’re blue in the face,” Kronwall said. “I think just getting out there in real games is the only thing that’s going to get you back into game shape really.”



Kronwall insists that it was back spasms, and not his knee, which if surgically repaired would bring about an end to his playing days, that has kept him sidelined.



“The knee’s feeling pretty good, a lot better than it was this time of year last year,” Kronwall said. “We changed a few things over the summer. We’ll see.



“It’s been feeling pretty good as of now.”



If this all sounds familiar, here’s why:



A few years back, forward Daniel Cleary looked to be all done, his battered knees no longer allowing him to play the grinding, forechecking, skating game that once made him a 20-goal scorer in Detroit.



When all logic suggested Cleary should pack it in, and if not, then the team should cut ties to him, they instead brought him back for another season.



His knee was better, and we would see the Cleary of old, we were told. On top of that, the Wings had few forwards capable of doing the heavy lifting in the corners that Cleary was more than willing to contribute.



Except it was all a facade. Cleary wasn’t the Cleary of old, he was just an old Cleary who could no longer get it done.



You have to admire the courage of both men to be willing to endure the pain to keep playing. But ignoring the ravages of Father Time, while noble, does not make the effects dissipate.



You don’t need to apply any sort of analytics to be aware of the deterioration in Kronwall’s game the past couple of seasons. Yet there he will be on Thursday, skating in the second defense pairing alongside Mike Green.



A guy on one leg, playing top-four minutes. What could possibly go wrong with that scenario?



Where he once struck fear into the opposition, Kronwall now stands as a symbol why Wings fans should be afraid - very afraid - of what is ahead for the team this season.



Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer

