Niklas Kronwall hopes the Red Wings re-sign soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Valtteri Filppula.

"Fil's one of those guys that you don't want to lose," Kronwall said. "He's a puck possession guy, a real good player and a great person, really good in the room, works hard. He has all the tools. Hopefully we'll be able to keep him." Filppula struggled in 2013 with just nine goals and 17 points in 41 games. Given that he reportedly wants about $5 million annually, Detroit might end up letting him go.

Valtteri Filppula isn't likely to play for the Detroit Red Wings next season.

Detroit, which tends to take a conservative approach to managing their salary cap, aren't likely to meet his reported demands of around $5 million annually. That's not unreasonable given that Filppula had just 17 points in 41 games in 2013, but he might still command that much on the open market where the talent pool is thin.

Valtteri Filppula doesn't know if he'll end up signing elsewhere over the summer.

"I don't know, it's too early to say right now," said Filppula. "It's been the only team I've played with. There's nothing but positive things to say (about the organization), and it's a great place to be. We'll see what happens this summer. I haven't thought too much about it. Possibly it (leaving the Red Wings) could happen. It would be tough." How much he demands will be a factor. Earlier reports suggested he was looking for more than $5 million per season, but the cap conscious Red Wings might bulk at that price after he recorded just 17 points in 41 games this season.

Valtteri Filppula will need four-eight weeks to recover from his high-ankle sprain suffered in Game 7 Wednesday.

The Red Wings were eliminated so Filppula will be ready for the start of training camp in September. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 5 and while the Red Wings would like to re-sign him, his value could skyrocket as there are not a lot of good free agents available this off-season. Filppula struggled this season with nine goals and 17 points in 41 games but did have 23 goals and 66 points in 2011-12 so he is capable of plenty of offense.

Valtteri Filppula suffered a high-ankle sprain in Game 7 on Wednesday night.

The winger who looked to be slewfooted by Andrew Shaw prior to his exit, lasted 1:28 before leaving. He'll be re-examined once the swelling goes down. The 29-year-old amassed nine goals and eight assists in 41 games during the regular season and had six points in the playoffs. He's an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Valtteri Filppula left Game 7 with an undisclosed injury.

He was involved in a scrum with the Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw. Filppula center played 1:28 before heading to the dressing room. He has two goals and six points in the playoffs.

Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock says Valtteri Filppula needs to be a "huge factor" against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Filppula, who is slated for free agency this summer, had one goal and four points in seven first-round games but also had some bad giveaways, particularly on a Game 6 goal by Emerson Etem. Due to the Hawks' great depth, the Red Wings need Filppula to be one of their best players without having to play alongside Henrik Zetterberg.

Valtteri Filppula has only three points in his last 16 games.

Filppula is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent but he is certainly not helping his situation with his lack of scoring. He has seven goals and 15 points in 37 games after a 23 goal, 66 point effort in 2012-13.

Valtteri Filppula will start out Thursday's game at center between Daniel Cleary and Damien Brunner.

The Wings are making the move with the hope of creating more offense and getting something out of Filppula, who has just one goal and one assist in his last 11 outings.

Valtteri Filppula is having a hard time generating points this season.

He has just 14 points in 32 games this season. "Definitely, I feel like I've been playing a lot and getting lots of chances, but it hasn't been going in this year," Filppula said. "Obviously, there are still some games left and we're fighting for a playoff spot. So, hopefully I can do more to help the team." Filppula is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this season and it's believed he's looking for more than $5 million per season. That'll be hard to get if he doesn't at least end the season on a positive note.