A Healthy Stephen Weiss Can Make a Difference for Detroit Red Wings at Center

The Detroit Wings made a splash during the 2013 free-agency period, and they thought they were getting a quality center in Stephen Weiss. He had a proven track record in which he put up between 45 and 60 points on a Florida Panthers team devoid of talent.

It was thought that he would flourish on a team less reliant on his contributions, but last season that didn't happen as Weiss was limited to 26 games. The immediate thought of fans was that Weiss was just a bust, but it has been revealed that playing hurt caused his struggles.

During the 2012-13 tilt, Weiss appeared in only 17 games, and the side effects of his injury in that season carried over to the 2013-14 season. The Toronto native is now healthy and ready to go, and he could really make a difference at center this season.

To start the season the Red Wings will be without Pavel Datsyuk, and that should provide an opportunity for Weiss. The Wings have a number of youngsters and veterans who can line up down the middle, but Weiss could find himself in a second- or third-line role.

This would give him a chance to play with wingers like Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Jurco or Justin Abdelkader, depending on how Mike Babcock decides to fill out his game sheet. This would give Weiss some decent linemates to work with, and therefore a chance to play somewhat of an offensive role.

Without Datsyuk in the lineup the Red Wings will need someone to pick up the slack, and Weiss can be that guy. For the last six seasons, Weiss has tallied 28 assists or more, and during those seasons he's recorded 45 points or more in all but one season.

Those are decent numbers for a quality third-line center, or a second-tier second-line center, or exactly the role the Wings could use to start the season. Detroit could use a center like him, especially considering the number of youngsters that are currently developing their craft for NHL duty. Weiss has a history of helping players to develop.

The Hockey News described Weiss as a center that "possesses tremendous acceleration, two-way instincts and scoring ability. When on top of his game, he's creative and makes his teammates around him better. Is usually solid on face-offs despite not being very big."

A creative center that makes his teammates better is a phrase that also describes Datsyuk. This is not to say that Weiss is replacing Datsyuk, but of all the centers on the roster, Weiss has the most experience and is the most equipped to handle big-time minutes.

There is a reason why general manager Ken Holland inked Weiss to a five-year $25.5 million deal. Weiss is clearly a talented 31-year-old center who was plagued by the injury bug. Weiss admitted that he felt pressured to step up after signing a big deal, even though he was hurt.

Via Ansar Khan of MLive.com:

"

Coming down for the first game of the year and thinking, ‘How are you going to get through the game?’ is probably not the right way to start. I’ve been around a bit and should be a little bit smarter and should have spoken up earlier and maybe some of this could have been avoided.

But sometimes that’s not my style. I’ll tend to do that and it got me in some trouble this year. Huge disappointment, but in saying that it kind of fuels the fire for this summer and next year.

"

Weiss is a talented center, he is healthy and he has a great opportunity in front of him. No one is expecting him to be a 60-point center, but 40 points isn't out of the question. Last season the Red Wings used a committee system at center, as their three top offensive centers all played around 45 games.

Player	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Henrik Zetterberg	45	16	32	48
Pavel Datsyuk	45	17	20	37
Riley Sheahan	42	9	15	24
Darren Helm	42	12	8	20
Joakim Andersson	65	8	9	17

Of those centers only one scored more than 40 points, so it is safe to say that 40 points or more from a healthy Weiss would be a more than welcome addition. The Red Wings enter 2014-15 looking to make the playoffs for the 24th consecutive season.

If Weiss plays like the Weiss of old, the Wings will keep that streak intact, and they may even make it further than they did last season. The Wings shelled out money for Weiss to be an impact player, and this could be the year he proves his worth.