Ericsson (back) will return to the lineup Thursday against the Kings, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ericsson missed the last three games with back spasms but it was never considered to be anything long-term and the blueliner will return for the Wings' fourth game of a five-game homestand. The 32-year-old is averaging solid minutes (18:20) but he's tallied just one point in his last 12 games and only five on the season and remains a low-end fantasy option.

Ericsson (back) is aiming to return Thursday night against the Kings, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The stay-at-home defender has missed the past two games with back spasms. By telling reporters that he's hoping to play Thursday, that effectively rules him out for an upcoming contest against the Coyotes.

Ericsson (back) won't suit up for Sunday's tilt with the Flyers.

EDGE Analysis

The 32-year-old missed Friday's game with back spasms, and will miss the second straight game with the same issue. His five points in 27 games are bad, but his plus-three rating and 43 PIM could give him fringe value in certain leagues. His next chance to return will be Tuesday against Arizona.

Ericsson will not suit up for Friday's game against the Blue Jackets due to back spasms and is considered day-to-day, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

This injury update seemingly comes out of nowhere, but such is generally the case with a tricky medical condition like back spasms. Niklas Kronwall and Xavier Ouellet are slated to take over second pairing duties with Ericsson out of the lineup.

Ericsson continues to be stagnant in the offensive zone, as four assists represent his only points in 23 games this season.

EDGE Analysis

Nobody was going to mistake Ericsson for Mike Green, who is Detroit's most prolific offensive producer from the blue line, yet fantasy owners should let go of any hope that the Swede will step up in the attacking zone with Brendan Smith (knee) and Alexey Marchenko (upper body) injured. Ericsson's locked into a defense-first mindset, having collected 39 PIM, 32 hits and 17 blocked shots. Unless you're a die-hard fan of the Winged Wheel and have enough roster space for a one-dimensional player, Ericsson's not going to be worth retaining.

Ericsson collected an assist in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Sharks.

EDGE Analysis

That's back-to-back games with an apple for Ericsson, but his true value this season has come in the form of penalty minutes. The 32-year-old currently leads the NHL with 26 PIM, having already accumulated two fighting majors and a misconduct call. During training camp, it was reported that Ericsson chose not to have surgery to repair a hip impingement, and that he'd try to play through the pain; so far, so good on that front, though we worry a bit for his fantasy owners that he's being so feisty on the ice given the apparent hip woes.

Ericsson received 20 stitches after taking a puck to the head in Monday's game against Ottawa, Dana Wakiji of NHL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Fantasy owners should monitor Ericsson's status leading up to Detroit's next game, Wednesday in New York against the Rangers. Although his team scored five goals, Ericsson didn't do much in this game before his injury. Outside of fighting Dion Phaneuf in the second period, he had only one shot on goal in 13:15 of ice time. There's not much to suggest the 32-year-old will improve upon the career-best 15 points he's scored the last two seasons, making him irrelevant in all but very deep fantasy formats.

Ericsson has been suffering from a hip impingement but currently is not in favor of undergoing corrective surgery, the Detroit Free Press reports. "We'll see how it goes," said the defenseman. "It gets a little worse every year. There's arthritis in there, too."

EDGE Analysis

It appears that he'll continue to play through the pain. The Red Wings have $4.75 million invested in Ericsson annually until he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020-21. Considering the big Swede has been in the league for nine years and still hasn't topped 15 points in a season, Ericsson was unlikely to see high ownership rates in fantasy even before giving mention to his hip woes, but now we're questioning whether he's worth a high paycheck from the Wings. Every team needs a big body to anchor the blue line and Ericsson can be that guy, though he lacks a physical edge to compensate for the offensive deficiencies.

Ericsson needs to improve in order to avoid losing his spot on the top defensive pair, MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ericsson was lackluster in his own zone last season as evidenced by a career-worst 61 giveways. As noted in the report, the hulky defender needs to demonstrate better footwork. The Swede has registered exactly three goals and 12 assists in each of the past two seasons, leaving a lot to be desired from a fantasy perspective, and the possibility that he'll move way down to the third pairing only gives you more reason to avoid him in just about any format. Fans of the Winged Wheel should consider Xavier Ouellett as a sneaky alternative since he's a puck-moving blueliner no longer exempt from waivers and ready to secure a full-time role in the NHL.

Ericsson tallied his fourth goal of the season Thursday in a 3-2 win against Winnipeg.

EDGE Analysis

Ericsson has scored a little more as of late, with two goals and an assist in his last seven games, and is also a plus-2 over that span. With a career high of 15 points, Ericsson will never light the world on fire from a fantasy standpoint but is a serviceable defender.