Brendan Smith will get back into Detroit's lineup for Thursday's home game versus San Jose. He has been a healthy scratch for the past two games. "I just wanted the puck looked after better," coach Mike Babcock said. "I want him to be better. He's a better player than that, and I expect him to be better. He's had a few days to watch and think about it. He's an ultra-competitive guy who has huge upside. He has to take care of the puck better." Smith will replace Ian White.

Brendan Smith is trying to put his defensive efforts ahead of potential offensive gains. "I think the first-thing first is to show that I can play that style as a good defenseman with the defense first," he said. "I mean, everyone knows I have offensive ability, and the biggest question was can I play at this level defensively and against the top lines, and I've shown that. It's the biggest thing for me and that is what I have to take from this, and be happy about." Smith has one assist in 19 games this season and it came back on Jan. 25. Coach Mike Babcock has been pleased with the 24-year-old's play, but he doesn't have any fantasy value right now. Keep an eye on him in the future though.

Brendan Smith was able to return to Wednesday's game after being the victim of a hard hit courtesy of the Kings' Dustin Penner on Wednesday. "I was just in front of the net and didn't even turn, and just got hit by Penner," said Smith. "I'm not sure why it happened, if it was intentional. I was hurting. You're not ready for it, and the puck isn't around, and he's big, too. It was a little bit of whiplash more than anything." Smith added that it wasn't too bad, given that he was able to finish the game.

In just his first game since Feb. 2, Brendan Smith looked banged up after taking a hit late in the Detroit Red Wings' 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. It looks like it could be a head injury after a hard check by Dustin Penner. It's too early to know how serious it might be, but it has to be frustrating for a guy who just recovered from a shoulder problem.

Brendan Smith (shoulder) has been activated off of the injured reserve list. It looks like Smith will play in Wednesday's game. He's been out since Feb. 2 due to a sprained shoulder.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Brendan Smith (shoulder) is close to returning to action. Smith was injured on February 2 and while he will not play on Thursday, he is getting closer to returning.

Brendan Smith (shoulder) hasn't practiced with a lot of contact yet and isn't sure he'll be able to return this weekend. Smith was hurt on Feb. 2 and is one of two Wings defensemen currently dealing with shoulder injuries, along with Carlo Colaiacovo. "It's hard to speculate because I haven't done much contact. That's the biggest issue with anything, can you deal with contact? And I'm not sure I'm ready for that," Smith said Tuesday. The initial timetable of Smith's return was three to four weeks, meaning he is quickly approaching the end of that projection.

Brendan Smith (shoulder) did some skating Wednesday. He isn't projected to be back in the lineup this month after getting hurt on Feb. 2 against Columbus. The initial timetable for his return was set at three-to-four weeks.

Brendan Smith is now expected to be out for three-to-four weeks due to a sprained shoulder. Smith was initially projected to be out for about two weeks after suffering the injury on Saturday. Although he has plenty of upside, Smith hasn't done much from a fantasy perspective yet this season. He only has one point in eight games.

Brendan Smith will be out of action for about two weeks after injuring his shoulder against Columbus Saturday. Smith will be seen by team doctors on Monday to further evaluate the shoulder injury. "That's a loss," coach Mike Babcock said of Smith's injury. "He's a competitive kid, he moves the puck and he competes awfully hard. We're already on fumes a little bit, and to lose him, we don't know for how long obviously, but it's a blow for us." Look for Ian White to return to the lineup and Brian Lashoff is also available to replace Smith.