Johan Franzen scored his first goal of the season, but the Red Wings lost 2-1 to the Blackhawks in overtime Sunday. Franzen has been moved to the Wings top line alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Damien Brunner and the unit has been clicking since the change. Look for The Mule to continue his power-play dominance soon enough.

Johan Franzen moved up to the Detroit Red Wings' top line in Thursday's practice. Franzen played alongside Damien Brunner and Henrik Zetterberg. Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is mixing up his lines after the Red Wings scored just four goals in their last three games.

Although Johan Franzen isn't looking to play in Europe at this time, he hasn't closed that door. "If they will cancel the season, I would start to look at things," Franzen said. He's been put off so far by the high taxes and the insurance payments he would have to make to protect his NHL contract. Franzen hasn't specified where he would play, but he did say that it probably wouldn't be the KHL or Switzerland. He was a member of Linkoping HC of the Swedish Elite League before originally joining the Detroit Red Wings.

Johan Franzen isn't planning on playing in Europe. Of course, his position could change if the lockout continues to drag on without further progress being made. Franzen was born in Vetlanda, Sweden and he spent years in the Swedish Elite League before making his NHL debut. However, he's only in the fourth year of a 11-year, $43,500,000 contract with Detroit and the potential insurance costs on that deal if he were to sign with a European club might be daunting.

Johan Franzen has been a tough nut to crack thus far in his career. At times he looks as dominant as any power forward in the league, but consistency has been a problem for him. He has scored 27 or more goals in four of his last five years, but hasn't been able to crack the 60-point plateau yet. Franzen had a disappointing playoffs with the Wings as well, with one goal in five games, which is probably why his name has surfaced in some trade rumors. The Wings are exploring several options in their hunt for a top-four defenseman, so it wouldn't be surprising if Franzen was used as bait.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland acknowledged an offer was made for Rick Nash, but it never appeared likely that Columbus wanted to make a team in its division better. If the Red Wings wanted to be serious players they would've had to start with Johan Franzen or Valtteri Filippula, then include youngsters Brendan Smith or Gustav Nyquist, add in another player and a first-round pick. Holland also said the Wings "talked and explored," but ultimately they never appeared like logical fits.

Johan Franzen suffered a broken nose during the 2012 IIHF World Championship. Franzen sustained the injury when Dmitri Kalinin cross-checked him. "I just talked to Mule," Red Wings GM Ken Holland said. "He has a broken nose, but otherwise (is) OK." It's worth noting that the possibility of a concussion hasn't been completely ruled out, but Holland said Franzen "sounded good."

Johan Franzen is heating up -- but it's not for the Wings in the playoffs, it's for Sweden in the world championships. Franzen had three assists as the Swedes topped Denmark 6-4, and he now has four points in three games. That's notable because he had one point, a goal, in five playoff games, a series in which the Predators ended the Red Wings' season. Even after the disappointing playoff production, Franzen and his $3.9 million cap hit isn't likely to be moved this offseason.

Johan Franzen had just one goal and no assists in five postseason contests. The one point Franzen did get was because the puck deflected off his body. Franzen led the team with 29 goals in the regular season and his postseason struggles were part of the reason Detroit got eliminated in the first round. Franzen is usually a great playoff performer, so that makes his untimely cold streak even more head scratching.

Johan Franzen appeared to score a goal in Game 3 on Sunday, but it was disallowed. Franzen's goal came a tenth of a second after the second period had ended. It would have been his second goal of the playoffs and might have changed the course of the game, given that Detroit only lost by one goal.