Detroit Red Wings veteran forward Pavel Datsyuk said that the knee injury that limited him last season is feeling better heading into training camp later this month and that he can skate on it without limitations.
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Datsyuk was held to just 45 regular season games in the 2013-14 campaign due to the injury, but entering his 13th NHL season he said it hasn't been a problem lately.
"It looks like the work has helped me, and I don't need the surgery," Datsyuk told the Red Wings website this week at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. "I'm skating now and it feels much better. Nothing bothers me and we'll see."
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Datsyuk was still one of the most imposing forwards in the NHL last season despite being limited to 45 games as he finished fourth on the team with 17 goals and put up 20 assists for 37 points en route to helping Detroit clinch its 23rd consecutive postseason berth in its inaugural season in the Eastern Conference.
Datsyuk also led the Red Wings in the postseason with five points off of three tallies and two helpers as Detroit lost to the Boston Bruins in five games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Datsyuk, 36, played through the pain despite surgery being an option for him following the Sochi Olympics in which he represented Russia. He helped aid the Red Wings to a 39-28-15 record and fourth place finish in the realigned Atlantic Division.
"After the Olympics it was questionable whether to do the surgery," Datsyuk said. "It was much better in a few games of the Boston series. I could push my knee but I lost a lot of muscle. Now everything has come back."
Datsyuk has been skating alongside teammates at informal workouts the past two days and while Detroit had a quiet offseason, it will bring back a nice mix of veterans and young players for the 2014-15 slate. The importance for the team is that the veterans stay healthy and the youthful skaters continue to improve.
"Everybody wish[es] we had new player[s] but we don't have it," Datsyuk said. "Now we just stick together and play our hockey and hope we don't have many injuries. Then we'll have a good chance, but if we have lots of injuries it will be tough again. ... For the last three years we've been back and forth; it kills us."
The Red Wings open training camp on Sept. 18 and their preseason slate begins with a Sept. 22 visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Detroit's regular season kicks off Oct. 9 when it hosts the Bruins in an opening-round rematch from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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