Bleacher Report - Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings Dilemma : Should this be Nicklas Lidstrom's Last Season?

Matt Hutter — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:49:24 -0500

Nov. 12, 2000. Anaheim, CA.

On our way to a (then, Mighty) Ducks-Red Wings game, my friend and I engage in a discussion about who the best players on either team are.

Halfway into the conversation, he mentions "Lidstrom" and "overrated" in the same sentence.

After threatening him with physical violence should he ever string these two words together again, we move on to other subjects.

We had good seats that day.

Just this side of home ice, about six rows back from the glass.

During the second period, Paul Kariya builds up a head of steam in his own end and starts busting down the right side with the puck.

He ditches a poke check from Sergei Fedorov at the red line.

He makes a move to the middle in the neutral zone.

He's now flying towards Detroit's zone.

Lidstrom skates laterally across the blue-line.

In one motion, he bends his knees, moves his hips slightly, extends his stick, and sweeps the puck away from Paul Kariya, who's going about 25 MPH.

Kariya puts on the breaks and tries to recover.

Lidstrom is already out of the zone.

He passes the puck through Ruslan Salei's legs, up to Fedorov...goal.

We saw this happen from about 30 feet away. I asked my friend, "Is he overrated now ?"

He threatened to beat himself up should he ever suggest this again.

The point to telling this story is simply to emphasize how much I have appreciated and enjoyed the play of Nicklas Lidstrom over the past 17 years.

In terms of Red Wing greatness, I believe only Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman surpass him.

All that being said, I'm wondering if 2009-10 should be his final season.

I'll explain my thinking here.

Lidstrom's contract is in its final year.

His salary and cap hit (which isn't always one in the same nowadays) is $7.45 million.

This is a steal for someone of his calibre, but, this is primarily what I am concerned about.

Detroit currently has nine players (including Lidstrom) with expiring contracts for a total of $16.55 million.

Considering the fact that Lidstrom is in total control of his destiny in Detroit, thus the league, if he decides to re-up for say, two years at his current salary, it would happen.

But this may not exactly be a fair prediction considering Lidstrom's history of deferring salary and taking less to stay for the benefit of the team.

So, perhaps he'd stay for $5 million for two years. The scenario plays out a little better, but is still problematic.

Were this to happen, Detroit would have $11.55 million left to spend on free agents and for contract extensions for current players.

That's not much, considering the fact they would either have to re-sign or replace Tomas Holmstrom, Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Williams, and Kirk Maltby, and would most likely be seeking a goalie and one more defenseman (Brett Lebda is also a UFA, but I'm making the very safe bet he's played his last season in Detroit).

Detroit is looking forward to being back in the free agent mix next year and would like to be players for potential UFA's like Patrick Marleau, Marc Savard, Marty Turco, Joe Corvo, and Paul Martin.

$11.55 million isn't going to get you that far or that much if these are the types of players you'd like to bring in.

Detroit has several young players ready to become full time NHLers, but there is no way they can (or would want to) fill all of their impending holes with just kids.

The point is, they need as much cap space as they can get over the summer.

Just how much of it will go to Lidstrom, if he decides to return, remains to be seen. But suffice to say, he's not going to be playing for the league minimum.

Understand this, I wouldn't hang myself if Lidstrom came back.

As far as I'm concerned, he's one of very few players you allow to write their own ticket.

Still, if Lidstrom does what he always has, and thinks about the team first, would he feel that keeping himself in Detroit outweighs the good that could come from allowing them to put his salary to other use?

Nicklas Lidstrom has lost a step or two since that November evening in 2000, but on most nights, he's still the best player on the ice.

Although, his offense has stalled a bit this season (he's on pace for 38 points).

This may be the halo effect from Detroit's all around slow start, or could be a sign that, unlike previous years, he's not quite able to contribute on both ends with the same efficacy.

It's a tough call to make.

However, if age has caught up to him (he'll be 40 in late April) and he's now simply a very good defenseman and no longer simply the best, Lidstrom may indeed decide that this is his stopping point.

For no one has ever had higher expectations for excellence from Nicklas Lidstrom than Nicklas Lidstrom.

Whatever the case turns out to be, one can rest assured knowing that if Nick Lidstrom is skating in Traverse City, MI in Sept. 2010, it will be his choice and one made for the good of the team.

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Will New York Islanders Send Marty Biron to Detroit Red Wings?

Jeff Ferris — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:28:44 -0500

I've been seeing, as of late, a lot of talk and 'rumors' about how the Wings are interested in Marty Biron of the Isles.

When I first heard the rumor, I was kind of intrigued, thinking that maybe if Biron was in Hockeytown, he might do some good. But there's a lot more to the scenario of 'Biron to Hockeytown' than meets the eye.

At first glance, it seems like it might be a good thing for the Wings. Their goalie situation, until lately, has been inconsistent, to say the least.

Ozzy has shown us flashes of the Oz of the past, from both ends of the spectrum. Howard, though lately has shown a bit of consistency, still doesn't have me convinced.

So this is why I was really weighing the possibilities of acquiring Biron. But it just wouldn't be worth it.

The Wings are known for sticking with guys inside their system. God knows Osgood has stretched the good graces of management to the limits. But they are, if nothing else, loyal to [sometimes] a fault to players in their organization.

Just look at McCarty, who they brought back last year. And need we look any further than Draper and Maltby? I know for a fact, if I had been in charge, they would have been traded or demoted long ago.

But another quality that the Wings hold high is to have good leaders in place for the young guys coming up through the system.

In this NHL, being on your own without a mentor can be like venturing out in the desert by your lonesome, to fend for yourself, and learn some lessons the hard way.

Now, trading away assets isn't something the Wings do very often either. Not that the assets look very appealing on draft day to an rival team...the Wings don't often get a high pick, but one thing they do well is they do their homework.

Their scouting is some of the best ever. They wait and dig out guys that no one else at the time was interested in. You know the guys I'm referring to. You'd love to have them on your team. :)

So, when I pondered the possible exchange for Biron, I wasn't quite so enthused at this deal's possibilities. Who in the system would we be willing to give up? A lot of people mentioned Ericsson's name. NO WAY!

This is one of our defencemen of the future. Larsson or MacCullum? Nope. Maybe Malts, but who else? Some suggest Rafalski in a deal. I say no way again. Yes, he may be over-shadowed by Lidstrom, but to me, letting Raf go is not an option.

The Wings need to ride this season out. Playoffs or no playoffs. Stay quiet at the trade deadline. If it means seeing end of the North American major sports record for most consecutive playoff appearances, then so be it.

Just making it to the playoffs means nothing. If this the Red Wings year to stand pat and 'rebuild' from within, then let it happen.

I hope Holland keeps being the Kenny we've come to know and love, and doesn't jump the gun.

Let me know your thoughts.

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Brendan Shanahan: Not Your Typical Hockey Player

Greg Eno — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:13:48 -0500

Brendan Shanahan shouldn’t have been a hockey player. He should have been tasting wine, or taking in the theater. Or maybe he should have been in the aisle behind you at the bookstore, helping some pretty young thing pick out a title for her dad on Father’s Day.

Instead, he elbowed, bulled, and plowed his way into goalies’ nightmares. He put his movie star good looks on the line every night, until slowly his face got that Etch-a-Sketch look that befalls all hockey players, if they play long enough.

Shanahan played long enough. He said so, retiring yesterday at age 40, which in the NHL is the new 30 anymore.

Before Shanahan, power forward was a basketball designation. “Cerebral” and “hockey player” were antonyms. Someone named Brendan was probably a Pistons assistant coach.

Shanahan started and ended a Devil, and it’s only fitting that he bookended his career, because he was a library on skates.

He knew his movies, for one. Shanahan didn’t only play on lines, he could recite them. From many a flick. That’s another thing he could have been: A movie reviewer. He wouldn’t have looked out of place in a camel jacket, a sweater vest, and glasses.

Brendan Shanahan brought the word “refined” to hockey, both in terms of his demeanor off the ice and his goal-scoring skills on it. He was, at his best, perhaps the most complete player in hockey. He might have led the league many a season in the Gordie Howe Hat Trick: A goal, an assist, a fight.

Yeah, he could fight. Can’t all Irish men? In his career, he scored 656 goals, and was whistled for over 40 hours worth of penalties. Often, that was the only way to keep Shanahan off the scoresheet—by hoping he’d end up in the penalty box.

The Red Wings grabbed him in his prime, hoodwinking the Hartford Whalers into coughing him up for an aging Paul Coffey and a "meh" Keith Primeau early in the 1996-97 season. Shanny was 27 at the time and coveted by every team in the league—at least those interested in winning hockey games.

Forget all the Detroit jokes. Shanahan couldn’t wait to get here. He was traded the afternoon of the Red Wings’ home opener, and made like those poor folks on “The Amazing Race” just so he could get to Joe Louis Arena in time for pre-game introductions.

So he makes it and it’s his turn to have his name called, and the roar is deafening. They stood, and cheered, and hollered and the guy hadn’t even taken a shift yet as a Red Wing.

But the people of Detroit, so knowledgeable about their hockey, knew their team had fleeced the Whalers and had brought to town a player the likes of whom hadn’t been spotted wearing the Winged Wheel since Bobby Probert turned people on with his own kind of hat trick: A goal, a fight, and another fight.

Shanahan was more talented than Probert, though. That, too, was no secret.

Shanny looked like a matinee idol and played like an action hero. The ladies who showed up at Joe Louis Arena wearing oversized Red Wings sweaters were smitten. He might have seemed like just another sniper on a team that was full of them, but then you’d look up and some poor sap was in a headlock and Shanahan—Brendan—was using the guy’s noggin as a punching bag.

He scored 309 goals as a Red Wing, nearly half his career total, and his best years were spent in Detroit, both in terms of individual accomplishments and those of the team. Three Stanley Cups he won playing with Yzerman, and Draper, and Lidstrom, and Maltby, and the rest.

Oh, and there was the time when he saved hockey.

Exaggeration? Sure—like calling water that’s at 210 degrees boiling.

It was after the horrific canceled season of 2004-05 that Shanahan went to work, making like Jimmy Carter and bringing the Players Association and ownership together. Others helped him but Shanny took the lead, putting his big brain to use and being instrumental in chiseling out an agreement that took the game out of conference rooms and put it back onto the ice.

Without Shanahan, the NHL might still be in hibernation. Another “exaggeration.”

It ended for him in Detroit shortly after Steve Yzerman retired in July 2006. Shanahan didn’t care to be part of the good old days. He thought his continued presence in the Red Wings locker room would stunt the growth of some of the kids, so he made like Sinatra and wanted to be a part of it—New York, New York.

But Shanny was getting closer to 38 and he could no longer score his age in goals. He popped in 29 pucks his first season as a Ranger, 23 the second. It used to be that he could score that without breaking a sweat. Now it was all he could muster without needing an oxygen mask.

Then a swan song last season with the Devils, the team he broke into the NHL with as an 18-year-old in 1987. In New Jersey he couldn’t play his age—at age 40 he skated in 34 matches. He scored six goals. The action hero was now just an extra.

So now it’s done—21 years in the books as an NHLer, 1,354 points scored, and all those penalty minutes. And three Stanley Cups. And still a face for movies.

He shouldn’t have been a hockey player, much less one helluva one.

Yet he was both. Go figure.

See Shanahan's 400th goal

See Shanahan's 600th goal

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Detroit Red Wings: Quarter Grades for Free-Agent Acquisitions

Matt Hutter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:27:27 -0500

First off, in case you missed it, the Detroit Red Wings lost a couple of players over the summer.

With over 80 goals and a solid backup net minder leaving the Motor City, and slightly more than $3 million in cap space available to replace them, the Detroit Red Wings waited out most of the summer looking for "close-out deals."

Such deals are typically exemplified by slightly-damaged, irregular, or older model products being sold at a huge discount.

Purchasing any items of this kind is always a risk.

Sometimes, you get what you pay for, which is next to nothing.

Other times, you get a lot of value for your money.

On very rare occasions, you get something that was improperly priced, a true treasure sold as trash.

As we're about near the quarter mark of the season for the Red Wings (Detroit has played 18 games), there is ample evidence to question and grade the players Detroit picked from the bargain bin.

The grading will be based on three criteria: effort, effectiveness, and value.

As each player was brought in for a specific purpose, those expectations will be noted and the grades made relative to each player's performance to this point.

Value will be determined based on a comparison between the player's performance and salary.

Is this a little subjective and open to interpretation? You bet it is, but hey, if you see things differently, tell me what your grades are in a post!

We'll go in order of acquisition, which bring us first to Patrick Eaves.

Patrick Eaves-RW/LW

Acquired for: third line scoring, defensive play

Salary/terms: $500k/one year

Games played: 11

Numbers: 1 G, 4 A, +7

Effort: B

Eaves' start in Detroit was a bit stalled. He had a tough time cracking the lineup through the first few games as head coach Mike Babcock tried to get youngsters Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader regular playing time.

However, since being put on a line with Helm and Kris Draper (who is playing on the wing), Eaves has contributed to what has been Detroit's fastest line over the past several weeks.

Effectiveness: A

Five points and a plus-seven through 11 games isn't bad at all for a third-line winger. Along with his offensive output, Eaves, with his line-mates, has really excelled at cycling the puck down low and creating problems for the opposition with their speed.

Value: A

For a guy making the equivalent of minimum wage in the NHL, Patrick Eaves has certainly provided enough effort and production to justify his salary. Should he continue on the pace he is and avoid injury (something hard to do in Detroit these days), he may very well turn into a "poor man's Dan Cleary." If so, he might just buy himself a shot at a contract extension over the summer.

Jason Williams-RW

Acquired for: Secondary scoring, second power play QB

Salary/terms: $1.5 million/one year

Games played: 15

Numbers: 2 G, 5 A,-5

Effort: B

Making a return trip to Hockeytown, Williams' strengths were well known by the organization.

However, it was his apparent lack of effort that bought him a ticket out of Detroit at the 2006-07 trade-deadline. Williams has certainly looked good so far this season, playing mostly with Ville Leino and Valterri Filppula. His speed and conditioning are solid and he's averaging over two shots per game.

Effectiveness: C

Williams enjoyed the best season of his career while with Detroit in 2005-06 (58 pts, 21 G, 37 A), and the team was hoping he could produce similar numbers this season.

Though he is currently on IR for the next several weeks (broken leg), his effectiveness prior to his injury wasn't all that noteworthy. While he has produced a bit, it's safe to say Detroit was hoping his point totals would be solidly into double-digit territory by this point.

Value: B-

Even with the games he will miss due to his injury, Williams still has time to increase his value to the team this season. However, if he continues on the pace he's on, he'd end up with about 35 points by the end of the season. Shelling out $43k per point isn't terrible, but it's hardly a bargain.

Todd Bertuzzi-LW/RW

Acquired for: Secondary scoring, power play scoring, physical presence

Salary/terms: $1.5 million/one year

Games played: 18

Numbers: 3 G, 6 A,-5

Effort: A+

Bertuzzi showed up to Detroit's training camp in great shape and with a very positive attitude. He said he'd continue to dedicate himself to scoring as much as he can, but also to his defensive game. Looking at just the numbers, one would think this was only talk, but Bertuzzi has been the most snake-bit Red Wing so far this season.

He trails only Henrik Zetterberg in shots (52) and has made some outstanding defensive plays that just don't show up in the stats. He's also exhibited some of the moves that made him one of the best players in the game while with Vancouver, but, he's hit more posts than he'd like to remember.

Effectiveness: C

Just like your teacher told you in sixth-grade, "If you keep working hard, your grade will improve." As frustrating as it is to hear, this is just what Todd Bertuzzi needs to do to increase his point totals.

He's got to believe that, sooner or later, his shots will start finding the back of the net. However, hockey is a numbers game, and Bertuzzi's 0.5 points per game are nothing but average.

Value: B

Bertuzzi will never be the player he once was. But, if he could contribute 40 points this season, I think the Wings would look at his $1.5 million salary as money well-spent. At times this season, Bertuzzi has looked absolutely dominant, but unless his effort starts paying off soon, I doubt the Wings would consider investing anything more into No. 44 beyond this season.

Brad May-LW

Acquired for: enforcer duties, fourth-line agitator

Salary/terms: $500k/one year

Games played: 11

Numbers: 0 G, 1 A,-1, 25 PIM

Effort: B

Signed a few games into the season, Brad May was brought in to "keep the flies off" as Mike Babcock puts it. May knew his role walking on to the team, but also pointed out he'd still like to contribute offensively here and there. He's fit in well on the fourth line and has even made a decent pass or two from game to game.

Additionally, May has tried to impart some of his fisticuffs knowledge to younger players like Justin Abdelkader, something no other player in Detroit can do.

Effectiveness: B

Judging an enforcer's effectiveness is rather tough. You can look at the PIMs (May leads the team) as an indicator, but, one also wants to see a few bloody opponents skating away from a bout.

May's presence has certainly made an impact on the ice as Detroit's star players are being left largely alone by the opposition, but, when he has dropped the gloves, he hasn't exactly pummeled his opponents.

Value: B

Everyone loves tough guys on their team. They bring a lot of energy to the room and can help change the momentum of a game with their fists. May has fit in well so far in Detroit, limited as his role is. He should contribute nicely to the development of players like Abdelkader and Ericcsson, two guys that would like to add an edge to their game.

So, there you have it.

A free-agent progress report from Mr. Hutter.

If any of you want to step up to the board and show the class your grades, please feel free to post your response!

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Last Night On "The Knee Jerks": Red Wings Good, Lions Not So Much

Greg Eno — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:24:07 -0500

First, a semi-major announcement: “The Knee Jerks” will be moving up a couple of hours!

Beginning Dec. 14, you’ll be able to get your jerkosity two hours earlier. The show will debut its new 9:00-11:00 ET time slot, so everyone can get some sleep on Monday nights!

The first quarter of the Red Wings’ season is almost done with, so on “The Knee Jerks” , my weekly gabfest with Big Al Beaton , we figured it was time to get a perspective on the team from someone who covers it, day in, day out.

Our guest was Ansar Khan , the team’s beat writer for MLive.com. Ansar has been on the Red Wings’ beat for about a dozen years, starting with his days at the Oakland Press.

Ansar gave us some good ice time, going up and down his wing and not committing any costly turnovers, as he gave us an insider’s look at the Red Wings. It was worthy of two points.

After talking Red Wings, including Ansar’s experience of being at Steve Yzerman’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Al and I got down to Detroit sports talk business.

Al wanted to riff on the Tigers’ offseason plans, particularly as they relate to the rumors swirling about the team possibly shopping Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson. So we plunged into that, along with chiding some of the so-called “experts” who have been reporting some pretty zany things that GM Dave Dombrowski is supposedly considering. Al’s voice went up a couple of octaves upon the mentioning of pitcher George Sherrill, and I went off on all the people in town who look at Granderson through rose-colored glasses.

After that, it was on to the Lions.

Al likes QB Matthew Stafford’s toughness, and feels that the kid won over some teammates after enduring the brutality that was Sunday’s game in Minnesota. I crabbed about the less-than-accurate throws and the drops of the accurate ones. We both agreed that if the Lions lose to Cleveland this Sunday, they may be looking at having the No. 1 overall pick two years in a row.

We took a few minutes to grind Patriots coach Bill Belichick into the turf for his boneheaded decision to go for it on fourth down late in the game against Indianapolis. I called Belichick unlikable, and Al said the decision smacked of hubris. I know–a $20 word, eh?

Then, as Al said, we had to “hustle” and go to our “Jerks of the Week.”

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter , for updates on scheduled guests, time changes, etc.

Upcoming guests/topics :

Nov. 23 U-M/MSU football post-mortem
Nov. 30 TBD (likely Pistons-related)
Dec. 7: NHL Central roundtable with Bleacher Report writers from Columbus, Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis
Dec. 14: Gregory Shamus , one of the best sports photographers you’ll ever know (Getty Images, Pittsburgh Penguins, Red Wings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and others); don’t forget—this will be our first 9:00 show!

Some highlights from Monday’s show:

Big Al

On the Tigers : “I can’t believe they’re going to dump payroll now. They could have up to $60 million come off the books before the 2011 season. And some of the rumors coming from out-of-towners are ludicrous!”

On the Lions : “How many different ways can we say that they suck?”

On Matthew Stafford : “He didn’t have happy feet. He showed a lot of toughness against the Vikings. Way more so than Joey Harrington or Scott Mitchell.”

Eno

On talks of trading Granderson : “There are a few bloggers in Detroit who I respect, who went on as if the Tigers had announced they were going to start drowning puppies!”

On the Lions-Browns game : “Maybe the NFL can black it out in Cleveland, too.”

On the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 : “If they lose to the Browns, I think the Lions WILL get the No. 1 overall pick. They’ll have lost to the Browns AND the Rams.”

You can listen to the episode by clicking HERE.

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Tonight on "The Knee Jerks": Detroit Red Wings-Heavy Episode

Greg Eno — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:46:21 -0500

It's a hockey-centric episode tonight (Monday) on "The Knee Jerks," my weekly gabfest on Blog Talk Radio with my co-host, Al Beaton , as we talk all things Detroit Red Wings and NHL with Kahn. Ansar Kahn, that is.

Khan has been the Red Wings beat writer for Mlive.com and Booth Newspapers since the 2000-01 season, and for several years prior to that for the Oakland Press. You can get the latest Red Wings insight from Kahn online at Mlive . After getting the scoop on the Wings and NHL, the Knee Jerks will spew all sort of thoughts on the past week of Detroit sports.

Tigers: We'll give our thoughts on all the trade rumors surrounding the supposed availability of Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson, Brandon Inge and even Miguel Cabrera.

There's nothing wrong with listening to offers, but what do I think of some of the proposals being thrown around by the MSM? I'll give you a hint. Starts with "ludi", ends in "crous".

Lions: Another Sunday, another loss. Same old, same old, right? Not exactly, as Matthew Stafford showed a toughness in getting beat up by an aggressive Vikings defense we never saw from such luminaries as Joey Harrington and Scott Mitchell.Coming up for the Lions is a huge game with the Browns.

Why "huge" when they are playing the 1-7 Browns? The first overall pick in 2010 may be at stake.

Wolverines: Another Saturday, another loss. Another Monday, another possible NCAA "issue" . But it is tOSU week, so could it be possible the staggering to the end of the season Wolverines can step up their game? Uh...no.

However, John Beilein's basketball team started the season with a bang, as Manny Harris had a triple double in a win over NMU. Funny how the Wolverines' fanbase is now pinning all their winning hopes on the hoopsters, when they were persona non grata a little more than two years ago.

Pistons: Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon are showing signs of being a solid one-two scoring punch. Even more unexpected is the offensive firepower backup point guard Will Bynum is bringing off the bench and the surprisingly effective Ben Wallace.

As always, At the end of the show, we'll also name our respective Jerk of the Week!

Tune in at 11PM every Monday night for the latest and greatest in sports talk...sports talk with a Detroit attitude! Of course, if you can't tune in live, the podcast will be available for download and streaming at our show page Tuesday morning!

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Despite Offseason Losses, Detroit Red Wings' Offense Is Alive and Well

Matt Hutter — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:09:57 -0500

The roster losses the Detroit Red Wings sustained over the summer are well documented, so I won't waste time detailing them here.

Suffice to say, when Detroit began the 2009-10 season, most believed that goals in Detroit were going to be about as plentiful as optimistic auto workers.

A team whose name had become synonymous with outstanding offense, the Detroit Red Wings were about to undergo a major identity change.

At least, that's what was assumed.

One quarter into the season, the Red Wings are proving the old adage true; to assume, is to make an ASS out of U and ME.

Detroit currently leads the Central Division in goals scored, good enough for third in the conference.

This is something few people would have expected, especially after the loss of 30-goal-scorer Johan Franzen three games into the season.

For all the change this team has undergone the past five months, their ability to regularly put the puck in the net has been largely unchanged.

Now, some would look at their poor start to the season and say that, clearly, they can't score enough to win.

But this would be ignoring the fact that five of their eight losses (5L-3OTL) have come after they've surrendered the lead to the opposition.

They were scoring enough, they just weren't saving enough to win.

One could say that this team would still have a difficult time scoring themselves out of trouble, the way they did regularly last season.

This is true.

As we've seen, poor defensive play isn't something this team can sustain and win.

Still, the emaciated offense expected at the start of the season has yet to reveal itself.

In fact, Detroit has 20 players that have scored this season. This is better than offensive juggernauts San Jose (18), Washington (18) and Pittsburgh (15).

This diversity in scoring ability will continue to pay dividends as Detroit awaits the return of Jason Williams (leg), Johan Franzen (knee), and Valtteri Filppula (wrist).

This should go a long way towards providing another bright spot for a team that, despite an early season malaise has won seven of their last eight and climbed to within two points of first place in the division.

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Detroit Red Wings: Coach Mike Babcock Getting Buy-In from Players

Matt Hutter — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:24:25 -0500

For a coach, having a depth of talent on your roster is sometimes a curse.

Trying to preach attention to detail and defensive awareness to a team that knows, on most nights, they're going to bury the opposition in goals is a tough task.

Your words often fall on deaf ears.

Last season, the Red Wings knew their firepower was unmatched in the league.

Boasting Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Brian Rafalski; last year's team new they were going to outscore their opponents almost every night, it was just a matter of who and how many.

This year, however, head coach Mike Babcock knew that, for now, those days were over.

With the loss of several offensive weapons over the summer, Babcock told the media and the team that, winning this year was only going to happen if the team committed to playing a defensive game and dedicated themselves to "grinding out" wins.

This was true to be sure, but, Detroit still had three world-class offensive players in Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen and solid secondary forwards such as Valtteri Filppula, Dan Cleary, Todd Bertuzzi and Jason Williams.

Surely, they wouldn't score as much but they still had enough guys who could put the puck in the net.

How quickly this changed.

Nearly two months into the season, Franzen, Filppula, and Williams are sidelined with serious injuries and with them, a heafty amount of offensive potential.

However, after a pedestrian start to the season (5-4-3), the Red Wings have won five of their last six games and have done it by playing the game Mike Babcock said they needed to at the start of the season.

During this stretch, the Red Wings have limited their goals against to nine and have scored 20.

By playing a strong, defensively sound, team-game, the Wings have found success, just like Mike Babcock said they would.

Getting back to the numbers, it is important to note that five of those nine goals against came in the Wings embarrassingly disastrous loss to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday.

The Red Wings came out flat, disinterested and unorganized and the game was over almost before it began.

Last season, the Wings might very well have won under those circumstances.

Several of their wins were of the 5-4, 7-6 variety.

But this season, and especially with their current roster losses, the Wings don't have the offensive depth to recover from a bad start.

Nothing succeeds like success, and with the Wings' current run of it, they're realizing that the best offense is a good defense.

Mike Babcock's message to his team that playing a sound, simple, defensive game is the only way to win has been well received.

This is evidenced by defense men getting the puck up and out, rather than going for the high-risk pass in the defensive zone.

Forwards, to a man, back-checking hard and finishing checks.

Most importantly, the goaltending has improved tremendously since the start of the season.

The fact that, allowing just three goals will likely lose the game for your team is beginning to sink in.

What's more, Mike Babcock has called out some of the younger players on the team and they've responded well.

At various points, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader and Ville Leino have been healthy scratches and Babcock has made no equivocation as to why; they weren't playing well enough defensively.

As a result, these three have all improved their defensive and offensive games and have made the most of the ice-time they've been given since.

This isn't always the case.

Getting called out by your coach doesn't always result in improved play, unless you agree with his assessment and buy into his system.

This is what has started to happen in Detroit.

Most coaches talk a good game, few get their players to listen.

As evidenced by their play over the past few weeks, Mike Babcock's team is all ears.

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