Red Wings Look to Keep Momentum Going in Second Half

I’ll admit it. I didn’t expect the Red Wings to start their season this way. I bought into what their critics were saying: they weren’t tough enough; their secondary scoring was lacking; and there was no way Dominik Hasek would be able to play as well as he did last year. For at least 43 games, the Red Wings have managed to prove their doubters wrong.

Doesn’t this seem to be the same old story every year? People continually doubt the Detroit Red Wings but they always find a way to silence their critics. It starts up front where the Wings have two of the best young players in the game, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. They have truly elevated themselves to the point where they are mentioned in discussions of the best players in the game. Both players had breakout playoff performances last season and have continued this season. There have also been solid contributions from Tomas Holmstrom, Dan Cleary, and youngsters Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula. I guess that answers the secondary scoring question. The additions of Aaron Downey and Dallas Drake have also given the team some much needed grit, which has been lacking in recent years.

The defense has once again proven why it is one of the best, if not the best, in the NHL. As I read a couple of days ago, the league might as well engrave Nick Lidstrom’s name on the Norris Trophy again. He has shown no signs of slowing down and is by far the best defenseman in the NHL. The play of free agent Brian Rafalski has also been nothing short of spectacular. When I found out that he wasn’t going to re-sign with the Devils I was praying that Ken Holland would pursue him. What a great acquisition he has been.

The goaltending situation was once again a concern during the summer, but it too has managed to work itself out. While Hasek struggled at the beginning of the season, Chris Osgood stepped in and made fans think they were watching the Red Wings of the late 1990s. He has performed marvelously in the absence of Hasek. Ozzie is leading the NHL in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage and should warrant some serious consideration when the Western Conference All Star team is being selected. Another plus for the Wings is that Hasek has been performing like his old self lately, giving the team two solid options in net down the stretch.

The trade deadline is six weeks away and if the Wings continue to play like they are now, there will be no need for a trade. The name that keeps popping up among many commentators is Mats Sundin, mainly because of the Red Wings Swedish contingent. I have always liked Mats, and it would be great to see him in red and white instead of blue and white. I think he’d be a great fit in Detroit. Lord knows he needs to get out of T.O. if he ever wants a Stanley Cup ring. But if I’m Ken Holland (and I myself have ambitions of becoming the GM of the Wings someday), I’d be reluctant to make a trade for Sundin. It’s unlikely that the Leafs are going to accept just a draft pick for Sundin, even if it is just a rental situation. The play of Shawn Matthias at this year’s World Junior Hockey Championships has me wishing the Wings hadn’t made the Bertuzzi trade at last year’s deadline. I can’t see the Wings getting Sundin without giving up a young roster player like Hudler or Filppula, and a prospect like Jakub Kindl or Brendan Smith, along with a bevy of draft picks. There is a great risk to deadline deals and my advice to Ken Holland is to approach this one with caution.

The first half of the 2007-2008 NHL season has been filled with a lot of positives for the Detroit Red Wings. Their 30-8-3 record was the best 41 game start in NHL history. If they continue playing the way they have been and they way they are capable of playing, they should be hoisting the Stanley Cup for the 11^th time come June. Although the playoffs are a grind and injuries can de-rail a team’s Cup dreams, this edition of the Detroit Red Wings seems to have what it takes to get the job done.