The Red Wings are still considered by many to be the top team in the Central Division in 2009-10. With Pavel Datsyuk playing some of the smartest hockey in the league, Henrik Zetterberg putting pucks in the net more often than not and Nicklas Lidstrom stonewalling forwards more than his goaltender, the Red Wings will put yet another powerful product on the ice. But in order to retain these all-stars, the Red Wings have had to see their depth take a nosedive.
The Red Wings have had a very inactive off-season, which is not a big surprise to the rest of the league. GM Ken Holland did everything he could to keep his offensive firepower in tact throughout last season, signing Zetterberg to a 12-year, $73 million contract and workhorse Johan Franzen to a 11-year, $43.5 million deal. Both deals face a relatively large cap hit with Zetterberg's hit being around $6 million and Franzen being about $3.95 million. When adding in the large contracts of Datsyuk, Lidstrom and Rafalski, the team could simply not hold on to their unrestricted free-agents.
Three players that really left Detroit to hang out and dry were Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky and Ty Conklin. All three players signed contracts with rival Central Division clubs, Hossa and Kopecky with the Chicago Blackhawks and Ty Conklin with the St. Louis Blues. Hossa was a large part of the Red Wings' offense last season, registering 40 goals and 31 assists. Kopecky adds grit and checking line capabilities to an already tough Blackhawks offense, and Conklin gives the Blues a much-needed backup to starter Chris Mason. Red Wings fans saw Conklin have some strong games last season when starter Chris Osgood was faltering or was not dressed due to injury or time off. Now he has the opportunity to be doing that against his former club six games a season.
The Red Wings also lost forward Mikael Samuelsson to the Vancouver Canucks. Samuelsson was a well-rounded player that stepped in on the second or third line when needed, adding 67 goals and 159 points in 278 games in a Red Wings jersey. But the Red Wings' biggest loss did not even come through NHL free-agency.
Jiri Hudler, a restricted free-agent who was waiting for his arbitration hearing, signed a deal with the Moscow Dynamo of the KHL worth US$10 million for two years. Hudler has played three seasons in the NHL, all with the Red Wings, and has improved his point-totals drastically every year that he remains in the league. Last season, the 25-year old scored 57 points for the Wings, placing him 7th on the team.
The Wings’ depth has possibly been their key to winning, not their stars. Head Coach Mike Babcock seems to role three lines that can score every season, but may have trouble coming into 2009-10. The storied franchise seems to plug in their call-ups from their farm team (the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL), better than any other team in major league sports. But can Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino and Darren Helm be guaranteed to be as strong as they were in the playoffs?
There is no way of knowing if in game 44 of the regular season against the San Jose Sharks, Abdelkader can be the same dominate checking forward that he was in the 2009 playoffs. Players seem to step up their game in the playoffs more than any other time. Chris Osgood is a prime example of this theory. In just 46 games played, the veteran goaltender had a brutal 3.09 GAA and a dismal .887 save percentage. Osgood made a complete 180 degree turn in the playoffs though, posting an impressive 2.01 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Playoffs are the time to shine, and the further your team goes the better you have to perform. Abdelkader and Helm played in the playoffs and were brilliant, but can they be everyday players for the Red Wings? Only time can answer that question.
The other teams in the Central are not so worried about depth.
The Central Division seems to improve every season. Currently known as the best division in hockey, the Central was just three points shy of placing all five teams in the playoffs. The Blackhawks, Blues and the Blue Jackets all joined Detroit in the playoffs. Chicago has improved drastically since drafting Jonathan Toews third overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, since adding Patrick Kane, Cristobal Huet, Brian Campbell and Marian Hossa to their lineup.
The Blues enjoyed a storybook season, despite the Western-leading 260 man-games lost to injury. Chris Mason led the way for the Blues, winning 24 of his last 37 games played. Not only will the Blues be happy to see youngsters T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and David Perron play in their second full season together, they will also be glad to see Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya return from long injuries.
The Columbus Blue Jackets had an intense season in 2008-09. After starting with rookie Derick Brassard scorching the ice for the first 31 games, he would fall to a season-ending shoulder injury. But the Blue Jackets just kept winning with the likes of hot rookie goaltender Steve Mason and top point-getter Rick Nash leading the way. Finishing seventh in the Western Conference, the Jackets can only get better with Brassard coming back for training camp.
The Nashville Predators did not make the Stanley Cup playoffs, but are always involved in the playoff race. Captain Jason Arnott sparked an amazing end to the season for the Predators, scoring 8 points in the final 4 games after returning from an upper-body injury. The offensive production of Arnott was not enough though, as the Nashville club missed the playoffs by 3 points. This team is always very resilient, so it is laughable to ever count them out of playoff contention.
Even after taking all of this into account, NHL media seems to ask these questions about the Red Wings every so often. The Red Wings have learned over the years to shut their critics up very quickly, so to say the Red Wings will not dominate in the West is never a good call. The Red Wing armor has shown kinks and scrapes at times over the years, but the tough fabric seems to hold up long enough for the team to win the battle in the end. In the Red Wings' case, tearing the nylon usually just makes the fabric stronger.
Keywords: brian campbell, brian rafalski, chris mason, chris osgood, cristobal huet, darren helm, david perron, derick brassard, detroit red wings, erik johnson, henrik zetterberg, jason arnott, jiri hudler, johan franzen, jonathan toews, justin abdelkader, ken holland, marian hossa, mikael samuelsson, mike babcock, nhl, niklas lidstrom, patrick kane, patrik berglund, paul kariya, pavel datsyuk, rick nash, steve mason, t.j. oshie, tomas kopecky, ty conklin, ville leino
