The Red Wings are struggling for offense these days and the team didn't get news Thursday that'll necessarily help that matter.

No team is immune to the injury bug, including the Detroit Red Wings. It's rare for a team to go through an entire season without missing at least one player for an extended period of time. Thursday night's game against the Edmonton Oilers is the first of a four-game West Coast road trip.

Patrick Kane is dealing with an upper body injury, and the Detroit Red Wings hope Vladimir Tarasenko can ameliorate that loss.

Dominik Shine had accepted this day might not be in the cards. There was a point last season, after the birth of his first child, that Shine had even thought about hanging up his skates — thinking about the demanding travel schedule of the American Hockey League and how much he would be away from his family.

With Patrick Kane landing on injured reserve, the Wings needed a forward for Monday night’s game. Shine’s trip to Perani’s would have to wait.

Dominik Shine said he never thought this day would come. There was a point last season, his eighth in the American Hockey League, when he considered retiring from pro hockey. He was away from his family too much.