Patrick Eaves spent Sunday's game in the press box. Pavel Datsyuk (shoulder) was initially considered questionable for the contest, but he was able to play and pushed Eaves out of the lineup in the process. Eaves has two assists in eight games this season.

Patrick Eaves had an assist in his return from the press box. Eaves spent four straight games as a healthy scratch. The Red Wings gave him a chance because Johan Franzen was out with a hip flexor injury.

The Detroit Red Wings have received only one point from their bottom-six forwards. Daniel Cleary, Justin Abdelkader, Drew Miller, Jordin Tootoo, Cory Emmerton and Patrick Eaves have combined for one assist, that being Eaves on a power play marker from Henrik Zetterberg. It's kind of tough to win with no production from your third and fourth lines and Mike Babcock is not happy. "We need some balance, some support," Babcock said. "The whole group has one assist, six guys have one assist, I mean."

Patrick Eaves will play on Monday, for the first time in over a year. Eaves broke his jaw and suffered a concussion on November 26th, 2011 against Nashville when a puck struck him in the face. Eaves jaw healed within a couple of months but the concussion left him out for the remainder of the season. The lockout certainly did not hurt Eaves recovery time as it forced him to stay on the sidelines. We wish him luck in his return, but do not select him in pools as he has no fantasy value.

Patrick Eaves (concussion) has been given the green light to play in Detroit's season opener. "First off, we're real pleased for Patrick Eaves," Red Wings GM Ken Holland said. "In the last little while Patty has been feeling and he's felt good this week (in training camp). We're happy for him; he's been through a lot. This strengthens our team, and it does create a logjam that we'll deal with." Eaves hasn't played since Nov. 26, 2011.

Patrick Eaves (concussion) was able to participate in Tuesday's scrimmage. "It was exciting," Eaves said. "We'll see how it goes. We'll see how Thursday goes. I'm not trying to look too far ahead." He didn't experience any symptoms following the scrimmage. He hasn't played in an NHL game since Nov. 26, 2011.

Patrick Eaves (concussion) was able to participate in contact drills during Sunday's practice. Eaves hasn't participated in an NHL game since Nov. 26, 2011. "I'm cleared to go out there and practice," Eaves said. "I can do whatever we do out here. It's more than I was able to do a little while ago. I felt good today. We'll see how tomorrow goes." He still hasn't been given the green light to participate in games.

Whenever the Detroit Red Wings start the shortened regular season, forward Patrick Eaves still won't be ready to play. Eaves suffered a severe concussion when he was hit with a puck Nov. 26, 2011, off the stick of Nashville defenseman Roman Josi. These days, Eaves is feeling better, but still not free of symptoms such as headaches or dizziness. "I feel like I'm getting better," Eaves said Monday as the Red Wings skated for the first time since a new collective bargaining agreement was tentatively worked out over the weekend. "(But) I'm not cleared yet."

Patrick Eaves (concussion) and Daniel Cleary (knee) are the only two Red Wings allowed access to the training staff. The NHL lockout forbids any contact between the players and coaching staff unless a player is coming off injury and has not been cleared to return to action. Eaves is still not ready to go but Cleary should be cleared shortly.

Patrick Eaves hasn't be medically cleared to resume playing from his concussion, but he is able to take to the ice for informal skates. He said his recovering has been "miserable" but he is confident that the worst of it his behind him now. "This is part of the progress, skating with other guys and trying to get used to that," said Eaves, who hasn't played since November. "The speed is, obviously, not what it is at training camp. I'm just happy to be out there with the guys." It's good to see that he's progressing, but his availability for training camp is still cloudy.