The Red Wings have played most of the season without Danny DeKeyser, and they may be without him the rest of the way.
DeKeyser will undergo back surgery on Tuesday, coach Jeff Blashill announced, and will be "out for a significant amount of time."
"It's a possibility," Blashill said, that he could miss the rest of the season.
DeKeyser, who hasn't played since Oct. 22 due to his back injury, was moving in the right direction when he suffered a setback last week. It won't make things any easier for the Red Wings, who are already buried in last place in the NHL.
"From the time he’s gotten hurt, it has a huge impact on your team because he’s our top defenseman and I think he’s a super underrated player in the league," Blashill said. "I think he’s one of the better defenders in the league.
"But we’ve played without him for a long time, so not having him is the reality of our situation. We have to face the reality head-on, which means that other guys have to step up and play really good hockey."
Filip Hronek has taken on the biggest role in DeKeyser's absence. The 22-year-old leads Detroit in ice time and continues to look like a mainstay on the top defensive pairing. After playing 19:58 per game last year, Hronek is up to 23:08.
"I think he's handled himself very well," said Blashill. "I think he's growing as a player, right before our eyes. He's gotten better and better and better. He's really competitive, he's got good moxie to him. What I like about him is when things don't go well, he doesn't melt. I think that's a huge quality for success, especially for younger players that are thrust into higher roles than maybe they should be as quickly as he is.
"He's a real bright spot right now. I think he's going to be a real good defenseman in this league."
For DeKeyser, it's the second season in a row he's missed significant time due to injury. A broken hand kept him out for several weeks last year.
The 29-year-old, who had four points in eight games this year, is signed through 2021-22.