Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall: Expected to return Sunday

Kronwall (groin) is set to return for Sunday afternoon's home game against the Rangers, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Analysis:

After missing the past eight games, Kronwall is likely to reunite with Jonathan Ericsson, who has been working on the second pair with Alexey Marchenko. This latest report suggests that Marchenko will be scratched from the lineup to make room for the Swedish defenseman best known for his jarring hits, and the Wings will need to either waive a player or send one to the minors since they're at the 23-man limit.