from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Pysyk, 30, had the surgery in July and has been gradually building his skating for the past month. The timetable for a return is approximately January 1, which would give coach Derek Lalonde another veteran presence on the defense, who also provides the versatility to play wing.

Pysyk can't wait, given the Wings were a team he was excited about joining.

"It's a young team on the way up," Pysyk said. "Good free-agent signings, and there's definitely a passion, a desire here, for things to get moving in the right direction. To be part of something like that, on the way up, and get things moving in the right direction, it's a good challenge, and it's fun to be part of a young team that loves coming to the rink and having fun."...

Pysyk believes January 1 is a realistic target date for a return but "that's pretty fluid. Everything will depend on how it goes on the ice, but somewhere around there."

Though mainly a defenseman, Pysyk has been used on the wing, and it's that versatility and skating ability that has made him a dependable 10-year NHL veteran with 521 games played.

"I just like to make the good first pass, don't do anything crazy, pretty defensive-minded, and that's about it," Pysyk said. "I'm always open to anything (ability to play forward), and whatever happens and comes my way, I'll take."

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