The Magic Man is back.
Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk will make his season debut Friday at home against the San Jose Sharks, the club announced.
After offseason ankle surgery, Datsyuk will return on Detroit's top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelakder, and you can expect him to stay with Zetterberg.
"I think they're two of the smartest players in the National Hockey League," head coach Jeff Blashill said. "When they play together, I think those smarts exponentially improve. That's not to say they're not great on their own; they are. But I've seen them together be great."
Zetterberg leads Detroit in scoring with four goals and 11 assists in 15 games, but the Red Wings are having a hard time scoring. They're averaging only 2.3 goals a game, which ranks 25th in the league. Datsyuk will help there.
The Russian, now 37, was a point-per-game player last season, with 65 points in 63 games (26 goals, 39 assists). Datsyuk can obviously still play, but his health is a concern as he was limited to only 45 games in 2013-14.
Landon Ferraro, dealing with a knee injury, was placed on short-term injured reserve to make room for Datsyuk on the roster.