Red Wings' Jurco undergoes back surgery, could miss start of season

Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Jurco had minor surgery on his back last week after a workout injury and will miss four-to-six weeks, general manager Ken Holland said, according to MLive.com's Ansar Khan. The recovery time means Jurco's chances of being healthy for the start of the season could be in jeopardy.

The 23-year-old split last season between the big club and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, with whom he posted five goals and nine points in just five games.

Holland also shed some light on defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who earlier in the day it was announced won't play for Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey due to a knee injury. Holland noted that Kronwall is feeling better, but that his decision to pull out of the tournament was due to him still not feeling 100 percent.

The Red Wings GM wasn't done there, as he also announced that 2015 third-round draft pick Vili Saarijarvi will miss three months after having wrist surgery.