Update before tonight’s game…

Helm’s a healthy scratch.

Per Chris McCosky of the DetNews:

“Anytime you miss training camp, especially when you are a kid, it’s tough,” Babcock said. “Helm, on this team in my opinion, should be pushing for third-line center, not battling to be the fourth-line center.

“So, he’s going to get an opportunity to watch (tonight). I talked to him about it and he’s going to be fired up to come back. Sometimes just a shot over the bow is a good reminder for guys.”

Babcock didn’t want to make it sound like he’s making Helm a scapegoat for the team’s slow start.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “Helmer’s been fine. He’s not at the level I am used to having him, but there’s a lot of guys that could be accused of that.”

With 5 games played, Helm’s 0-1-1 and a -1.  I’m not thrilled at the idea of an energy guy like Helm being scratched.  I don’t think he’s ever going to pot a lot of goals, so it’s hard to judge him by points alone.  Admittedly, he hasn’t been quite as noticeable, crashing and banging around like he usually does, and like Babcock said, maybe he just needs a little extra time to get where he needs to be after missing training camp with an injury.

Tweet