Detroit Red Wings: Kris Draper Out Up to 6 Weeks—A Blessing in Disguise?

Before you read this, please read this.

You won't have to read much; in fact, you can go ahead and stop at the second slide.

What is important to understand is this: Out of over 1,000 players who have called themselves "Red Wings" over the past 84 years, I personally consider Kris Draper to be the 24th best Red Wing of all time.

That being said, and with all due respect and man-love to Drapes, I'm glad we won't be seeing him for a while.

Draper is scheduled to undergo sports hernia surgery on Thursday in Philadelphia and is likely to miss the next month to six weeks recuperating and rehabilitating.

Draper has yet to touch the ice in the regular season this year, and while that would have put a large dent in Detroit's overall effectiveness in years past, I'm not sure it's made so much as a scratch this season.

Draper's usual spot the past few seasons has been dead center on the fourth-line.

However, as Draper was unavailable for the start of the season, Darren Helm has taken over those duties and to this point, has done a damn fine job of it.

There was much made about Detroit signing Mike Modano over the summer.

Some, including yours truly, questioned the move inasmuch as it seemed to be destined to marginalize the contributions and development of younger players like Helm and Justin Abdelkader.

The tacit concern at play here was the knowledge that, regardless of his age, which is 39 by the way, Kris Draper was surely going to center the fourth-line again this season.

Prior to the season start, the idea was to work in a rotation of Helm and Abdelkader on some nights to make sure they stayed sharp, but the fourth-line center job was clearly Draper's to lose.

Now, with Draper out of commission, and Justin Abdelkader (who himself has yet to begin the season due to a rib injury) set to return to the lineup, the development of two of Detroit's younger and more promising players will be less encumbered.

Though Detroit's strategy of icing older, more experienced players year after year has yet to truly fail; there's no question that, like the rest of the NHL, Detroit must continue to get younger, stronger and faster if they are to compete with the top teams in the league.

Youth, strength and speed are exactly what Helm and Abdelkader bring night in and night out to the Detroit Red Wings—that is, on the night's they are in and not out of the lineup.

To be fair, Kris Draper is still an effective NHL player.  He's not the factor he once was, not even close, but his presence on the ice is not a waste.

However, Darren Helm is essentially a younger version of Kris Draper, 16 years younger to be exact.

Between the two, there is no comparison when it comes to speed and youthful exuberance, two things any team, and especially the Detroit Red Wings, could always use more of.

Kris Draper's injury and extended absence temporarily scraps the preseason plan of having him center the fourth-line most nights, and being spelled on occasion by Helm or Abdelkader.

To my mind, the opposite should have been Plan A, which makes the Wings' forcing to go to Plan B, ultimately, a good thing.