Stock Watch for Detroit Red Wings' Top Six Forwards

Detroit Red Wings forwards have found it difficult to score goals at key times so far this season. The Wings' top line was scoring in bunches, but the other lines weren't pulling their weight.

That has changed with head coach Mike Babcock splitting up Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in an effort to generate some offense.

With a split over the weekend, the Red Wings are now 11-7-7, good for one of the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Although the Red Wings' offense has started to come from more than just the top line, there are still a lot of players who can contribute more often to help out the team going forward.

Here is the current "stock watch" of the top six forwards for the Detroit Red Wings.

Pavel Datsyuk

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Key Statistics: Three goals in the last five games played, but minus-six over that time.

Analysis: Pavel Datsyuk has been one of the game's most consistent players over the past decade, averaging almost a point per game since coming into the league.

But Datsyuk has been "keyed on" by other teams this season, and after Henrik Zetterberg was split off of his line, "The Magician" has had to find other ways of making offense for himself.

While that hasn't been a problem over the past five games, Datsyuk has found himself on the ice for more goals against than for in that span.

In a 4-3 win over Carolina, Datsyuk had no points and was a minus-three. He hasn't lost his groove offensively, but his stock watch overall isn't doing much at the moment.

Stock: Neutral.

Henrik Zetterberg

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Key Statistic: Five assists in the last seven games.

Analysis: When some of the other Red Wings haven't been able to get it going on offense, Henrik Zetterberg has picked the team up and put it on his back. Zetterberg's seven assists in the past five games continue to help the Red Wings remain relevant in the standings.

There have been some big-time struggles from bottom-six forwards and fringe top-six forwards to put up points, but Zetterberg has had a hand in ensuring that he keeps his team on track.

The captain has 10 goals in 25 games, putting him on track for another possible 30-goal season. Good things happen when Zetterberg gets 30 goals in a season.

The last two times that happened were 2007-08 and 2008-09, when Detroit went to the Stanley Cup Final.

Stock: Rising.

Daniel Alfredsson

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Key Statistic: Two points in first game back from injury.

Analysis: The Red Wings have had a November to forget. The Red Wings have played 12 games so far but have just four wins in November, losing five times in overtime or in a shootout.

Daniel Alfredsson had not played for Detroit since November 12, but he came back with renewed energy in Sunday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres, picking up a goal and an assist in the Red Wings' 3-1 victory.

Without Alfredsson, Detroit struggled, especially on the power play without a bona fide right-handed shot, going 1-2-2 in the five games that he missed.

Alfredsson now has 16 points in 20 games played this season, making his salary of $5.5 million seem realistic, and even a solid deal, for Detroit.

Alfredsson may not be a top-six forward every night, but with the power-play time that he gets (almost three minutes per contest), he still averages top-six ice time for a forward.

Stock: Rising.

Johan Franzen

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Key Statistic: Four points in his last five games and eight points in his last seven games.

Analysis: Those fans who have been saying that Johan Franzen is "underachieving" this year wouldn't necessarily be wrong. But there is good news for supporters of "The Mule."

Franzen has just 13 points in 20 games played this season, but eight of those points have come over his last seven contests. The Mule can usually be counted on for 27 or more goals and 55 or more points in a full-length regular season.

Although his totals now are a little bit under those expectations, it is important to note that Franzen scores and puts up points in bunches. His eight points in the past seven games should serve as a reminder to that.

Franzen had the game-winning power-play goal Sunday night in Buffalo and also added an assist on Daniel Alfredsson's empty-netter after missing the empty net himself.

Analysis: Rising.

Gustav Nyquist

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Key Statistic: Two goals in first game back to the NHL this season.

Analysis: The simple fact of the matter is that no one really knows what to expect from Gustav Nyquist this season. Red Wings fans weren't sure if they would see him this season, as the 24-year-old Swede had two games left on his roster exemption.

After Danny DeKeyser's injury opened the door for Nyquist to move up to the Red Wings, he put up two goals in his first game back, including one just 17 seconds into the game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

But after those two goals, Nyquist doesn't have much to show over the past two games with just three shots on goal and a minus-one rating.

Don't ignore what Nyquist can do, but keep realistic expectations for his performance over the remainder of the season.

Stock: Neutral.

Todd Bertuzzi

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Key Statistics: Minus-six in his past six games played with zero points.

Analysis: Todd Bertuzzi, when healthy, should be playing as a top-six forward over Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson.

Despite his lack of points and plus-minus rating over his past six contests, Bertuzzi has been a valuable asset to players like Pavel Datsyuk because he has shown the rare ability to use his big body and hands to set up Datsyuk for easy goals.

Bertuzzi missed the past two games but had nine points over his first 17 contests. Although he may be "cold" right now, the one-time 97-point scorer can heat up at a moment's notice.

Stock: Falling.