[Editor's note: bumped from fanposts, discuss!]

Story on Freep

This is a followup to my fanpost a few days ago.  Kris Draper will be having hernia surgery today and will miss 4-6 weeks.  With Franzen and possibly Abdelkader and Ericsson back tonight, Draper could be in some trouble when he gets back.  The fourth line, so far, has been arguably our best line.  Eaves-Helm-Miller has been working great together.  Draper will battle with Abdelkader for any forward openings when he returns and Abdelkader is, in my opinion at least, better than Drapes is.  As I was saying in the fanpost, Draper could have a real difficult time finding his way into very many games before the home stretch after the All Star Break, and even then it will only be to get him into a rhythm to win a bunch of faceoffs for us in the playoffs.  And there is always the possibility that this injury could be a career ender for Draper, not because it is bad but because he may not be able to make his way back into the lineup.