Zetterberg (chronic back pain) is retiring, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The announcement came from Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. Zetterberg had been dealing with chronic back pain this offseason and had made little progress in his recovery bid. As a result, the soon-to-be 38-year-old will hang up the skates for good (but will spend the 2018-19 season on LTIR). Zetterberg finishes his NHL career with 1082 games played, tallying 960 points along the way and also winning a Stanley Cup in 2008. Detroit must now decide who their next captain will be, with Dylan Larkin's name being the first that comes to mind.

Zetterberg will meet with the back specialist that performed surgery on the venerable forward in 2014, Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

While it's been reported ad nauseam that Zetterberg will miss all of training camp and the start of the 2018-19 season, the captain's teammates in Detroit are still holding out hope that Big Z will be able to find solutions to his chronic back trouble.

Zetterberg (back) is unlikely to be on the ice for training camp, NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

As of August 28, Zetterberg had been rehabbing, but not training because "the pain made it impossible." It looks doubtful the 37-year-old forward will be able to play on opening night, given that he explained he "can't play NHL games without being well-prepared, especially not at my age." With that being said, Zetterberg is an extremely tough player who has logged full 82-game seasons the past three years, despite battling through the injury. Teammates remain hopeful their captain will be back this season.

Zetterberg (back) said he will miss training camp and the start of the regular season, Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.ca reports. "I have not been able to train and I can not play NHL matches without being well prepared, especially not at my age."

EDGE Analysis

This news comes just two days after coach Jeff Blashill said Zetterberg could miss the entire 2018-19 campaign. The 37-year-old finally spoke up about how ill prepared he would be to hop back on the ice without properly training this summer. Zetterberg's stat line hasn't dropped with age, however, as he didn't miss a game over the last three seasons and racked up 41 goals and 174 points in that span. During his absence, Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen and Andreas Athanasiou will center the top three lines, respectively.

Zetterberg (back) likely won't be ready for the regular season and could miss the entire 2018-19 season, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

More unfortunate news on Zetterberg's health, as it appears more likely by the day that the 37-year-old will miss the entire upcoming season. Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill also said that if Zetterberg is unable to suit up, Andreas Athanasiou will slot into the third-line center role behind Dylan Larkin and Frans Nielsen. Zetterberg's health situation is certainly something that will be closely monitored heading into training camp.

Zetterberg's (back) health remains a serious concern for the Red Wings ahead of training camp, The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Numerous reports have trickled in over the summer speculating that Zetterberg could possibly be lost for the season, and the latest news is anything but positive. "He's had a hard summer and I don't think his back is reacting great," head coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday. "Certainly we'll know more in a month (at training camp), but as of today, there's a lot of doubt as to whether his back will be healthy enough to play." If Zetterberg doesn't play, then 22-year Dylan Larkin -- who signed a five-year, $30 million extension earlier this month -- would open the season as the top-line center.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland is unsure of Zetterberg's (back) health status, adding that more will be known in September, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Original Six club is reportedly $1 million over the salary cap with Dylan Larkin re-signed for five years at $6.1 million annually. Placing Zetterberg on long-term injured reserve to start the season would be an obvious way to save cap space against the upper limit, but training camp won't start for another month and everyone vested in Detroit's plans for the upcoming season will want to hear more from Big Z himself before hitting the panic button. There very well could be validity in these rumors, or it could end up being an overblown concern; time will tell.

Zetterberg (back) is expected to be in training camp ahead of the 2018-19 season, MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Previous reports indicated that persistent back trouble could wipe out all of Zetterberg's campaign and possibly cause him to retire, but then again, there's been such little evidence to corroborate those rumors. For what it's worth, a July 10 report from the Detroit Free Press included a photograph of Zetterberg golfing in Scotland and speculated that his ability to hit the links could be viewed as "encouraging news."

Zetterberg is dealing with a back issue and the Red Wings are not entirely confident that he will play in the upcoming season, MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Despite this development, we wouldn't think about making any sudden fantasy moves involving Big Z. The Red Wings captain told reporters after the season that he intends to play at least one more year, but if not, he'll reportedly go on long-term injured reserve to provide the club with more cap space. Speedster Dylan Larkin is expected to emerge as the chief leader of the Original Six club when Zetterberg -- who's considered one of the franchise's best players to ever hit the ice -- ultimately decides to call it a career.

Zetterberg will play at least one more season, the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Detroit's captain has three years remaining on a 12-year, $73 million contract extension that he signed in January of 2009, but Zetterberg had been non-committal regarding his return after the Wings were eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight season. A fierce competitor, 'Z' finished with 11 goals on 180 shots this past season for his weakest scoring output since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, though he did bag 45 apples to complement 18 power-play points to keep him relevant in the fantasy realm. Michigan native Dylan Larkin is the favorite to succeed Zetterberg as team captain when the latter is ready to hang up his skates for good.