Ranking the Detroit Red Wings Players in Their Possible 16-0 Run
Can the Wings go 16-0 on their way to their 12th Stanley Cup? No, but the title sure got your attention, eh? Although they are one-fourth of the way there, they have some major battles ahead of them, starting with the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.
With one of the deepest teams in the NHL containing some of the biggest names, we will see just how the Wings players rank in importance to this year's playoff run.
21. Kris Draper
1 of 21
Donning the big "A" on the Red Wings jersey goes to show the emphasis the Detroit Red Wings place on seniority and leadership. Drapes leads the team by way of experience, leadership and hard work.
He gets his time on the ice mainly to take faceoffs and kill penalties (which he does with everything in his tank), but with the emergence of speedster role player Darren Helm, Draper's importance is limited.
Coming to the Wings in 1993 in possibly the best deal for any NHL team in history, he has established a long and impressive career wearing the winged-wheel. He can hope to finish his career as a champion but his importance is rather low this year.
20. Mike Modano
2 of 21
In what looks to be his final NHL season, Mike Modano really got the shaft when it came down to it. A fluke injury sidelined him for most of the season and due to lack of playing time during the season, the story seems to be the same for the playoffs.
He did contribute an assist in his only game played and personally, I think this guy still has the wheels to contribute a ton to the Wings this season. But with a healthy roster, Modano can expect to be watching a lot of games from the stands.
Like Draper, Modano is looking to finish his career a champion—this time, in his hometown—but won't have the important role on his shoulders as he did in Dallas.
19. Drew Miller
3 of 21
The Wings fourth line has been among the best in the league and continues to play an important role in the playoffs, but Drew Miller has slightly less on his shoulders, as do other fourth-liners such as Justin Abdelkader or Patrick Eaves.
Miller has two points in his four games played including a lucky bounce off of him that put the Wings up early in Game 3. He will have to continue his solid play but if he doesn't show up for a game, it won't be fatal for the Wings.
.png?w=256 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=256 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=256)
18. Patrick Eaves
4 of 21
I don't know what it is about this guy but he sure does seem to be in the right place and the right time a lot. Another fourth-liner that continues to impress will have limited time on a deep Red Wings roster.
Two goals in two games helped the Wings to sweep the Coyotes in the first round and he will need to keep up his timely contributions although he isn't exactly a catalyst to a Cup run.
17. Jiri Hudler
5 of 21
Coming into the middle rankings, here some of you may disagree with some of my choices but I will do my best to argue my point—and remember, this is just my opinion.
I feel Jiri Hudler has not been all that he can be. He does have three points, including an incredible snipe over the shoulder of Ilya Bryzgalov, but he didn't really contribute much of the regular season and the Red Wings seemed to get along fine.
His small stature limits his momentum-shifting physical play and he tends to get pushed around a bit when he is on the ice. With the lowest average time on ice of all the Wings, Huds will have to prove he is a clutch player to make his way up this list.
16. Rulan Salei
6 of 21
Being the lowest-ranked defenseman in here should not be a huge disappointment considering the defensive talent on the Wings roster. He battled his way onto the playoff roster after some competition from prospect Jakub Kindl.
Salei played fantastic in Round 1 and was very consistent putting up the best plus/minus on the team with a plus-six, but I just don't see his importance extending past the defense of third and fourth-liners.
He is a veteran that can lead by example but as far as importance goes, he is the D-man that the Wings rely on the least amount of the time.
15. Justin Abdelkader
7 of 21
If Abdelkader could catch a couple breaks and put up some points, he would jump up this list dramatically. He has shown he can play at the NHL level and has the ability to contribute in many ways.
He is one of the only Red Wings willing to throw the gloves or throw a huge hit to immediately transfer momentum to the Wings. A high-energy player that will be a long-time Red Wing with a long future.
He is one of my personal favorites and makes a difference every time he is on the ice. With some more production, he could definitely move up this list.
14. Danny Cleary
8 of 21
Danny Cleary has worked his way up to the top players on the Red Wings through sheer hard work. I remember seeing him when he was fighting just for a spot on the roster and he played with so much heart you couldn't ignore him.
This year he has put up three points but can be invisible at times, which is why he is No. 14 on this list. If he wants more importance placed on him, he must be more consistent.
13. Jonathon Ericsson
9 of 21
I'm beginning to find ranking defensemen and forwards in the same article a difficult task considering the sheer number of forwards vs. defense on a team. Jonathon Ericsson has been one of the Red Wings' highest-played defensemen and has lived up to the task by being very consistent.
A few minor things here and there show he still has room for improvement but I firmly believe he will be a top-two defenseman during his career.
With big defense names on the Wings, Ericsson has yet to reach huge importance but he is still definitely up there as far as the Wings relying on him. If anyone has a problem with anyone's placement on the list, I think it should be his.
12. Todd Bertuzzi
10 of 21
If I would have made this list last year, Todd Bertuzzi would have been much further down the list, but this guy is just scary. He looks like he would knock you out, take you in his basement and eat your organs—a great attribute in the NHL playoffs.
He is the only Wing to throw down so far in the playoffs and even though he ended up falling early on in the fight, he still went down swinging and ended up on top. Some big hits have shown that maybe he is finally willing to use his brute strength and size again.
Anyone who can get the crowd to chant his name in unison must be a pretty impactful player and if shootouts were involved in the playoffs—where he could slowly dangle goalies into submission—he would totally break top 10 in my book.
11. Valtteri Filppula
11 of 21
The only Red Wing name that I have to continuously look up to spell it correctly. You wouldn't think I would have to considering how many times he gets himself on the score sheet.
Filppula has quietly established himself as a go-to top-six forward and has nailed himself to the Red Wings power play. He has gone under the radar racking up five points in four games, good enough for second on the team.
If defensemen didn't play such a critical role in the Detroit system, Filppula would definitely be way up there in importance.
10. Brad Stuart
12 of 21
Brad Stuart was the go-to defenseman all season for the Red Wings (for the games he wasn't out with a shattered jaw). He is a consistent stay-at-home D-man that can lay some punishing hits for his team.
If he produced a bit more, he would be higher on the list (one of only three Wings to not register a point in the first series) but I believe he is a catalyst on defense, which is why he breaks the top 10.
9. Tomas Holmstrom
13 of 21
Some say Tomas Holmstrom is one of the best terrible hockey players in the league. Although he may not be the best skater, shooter, passer or even stick-handler, Holmstrom is essential to the Wings' success mainly for his constant irritation of the opposing goalie. He can turn the tide of a game just by ticking off the other guys.
Homer puts up points because of his dedication to being a pest. He controls his temper so well that I can't even imagine how he does it. He leads to more garbage goals and power plays from the opponent's sheer frustration that it totally outweighs the many goals they've had called back due to his position.
He ranks as one of the top forwards because not only does he score, but he digs under the skin of the other team more than anyone in the league, and he does it cleanly which I think is part of the Red Wings' mission statement.
8. Brian Rafalski
14 of 21
I personally have not been a fan of Brian Rafalski this season. He has been horrible with outlet passes and pinching at the wrong time. The playoffs seem to have turned his game around a bit however and he has played significantly better.
Rafalski has established himself as a solid power-play point-man and it has gotten him two power-play goals in the first round. He ranks second in time on ice for the Wings and should continue to have important moments placed on his shoulder.
7. Darren Helm
15 of 21
Alright, bring on the criticism.
Darren Helm has been one of the top stories this year in the playoffs and will continue to be for rest of them. I have heard his name mentioned on NHL on the Fly, NHL Live and Red Wings postgames more than I have any other player (besides Datsyuk).
Helm has established himself as one of the top energy players in the league and with more time to develop his hands and ability to finish, this kid could be a top-line center in coming years. Due to his incredible speed and relentless work ethic, Helmer has become one of the elite penalty-killers in the league (some may remember his one-man, one-minute penalty-killing clinic from last year's playoffs).
He has three points in four games for the Wings and brings so much more than just speed to the table. Every time he is on the ice, Joe Louis gets just a little bit louder in anticipation of what he might do next. I think he is one of the most important forwards on the ice for the Wings.
6. Johan Franzen
16 of 21
Can anyone look like that and not be rated as one of the most important players on the ice for a team? Johan Franzen is the definition of a playoff performer. I don't think that word is technically in Webster's—but if it were, this picture would be the definition.
Franzen has shattered most of Gordie Howe's playoff records and has continued to show his determination and dedication this year in Round 1. He's put in two goals and gotten an assist while playing in only three games, one of which he missed half off to get his face put back together.
The crowd loves Franzen and he has recently brought some physical play to the table to go along with his sick hands and spot-on snipes. He is one of Detroit's top three forwards in the playoffs and with him healthy, he can support the Wings on his own.
5. Niklas Kronwall
17 of 21
It sure has been a while since we've seen a Kronwall hit like that one, or any of the others come to think of it. Kronwall has the ability to step up and send players into another world but he seems to have focused more on being a solid defender than laying huge checks this season.
Kronwall ranks up with the top Red Wings because of his consistency and production this season. He has established himself as the top defenseman averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game (first among Wings).
His contribution on the power play is unmatched with his ability to jump into the play and contribute or to rip clappers from blue line. If it weren't for the legendary captain of the Wings, Kronwall would be the most important defenseman.
4. Nicklas Lidstrom
18 of 21
Arguably the best defenseman to ever strap on a pair of skates, Nicklas Lidstrom just radiates leadership. Lidstrom has been the catalyst for the Detroit Red Wings for the past 19 seasons and continues to amaze forwards all over the league.
Nominated for his 10th Norris trophy in 11 seasons—in addition to his first nomination for the Lady Byng trophy for most gentlemanly player—he has every quality an NHL captain needs. Getting up there in age, his on-ice time is down a bit but his contributions are still as important as ever. He led the Wings in points by a defenseman this year (second in the league) and has continued his dominance on the back end.
Although I may not consider him the most important player—the Wings need to score as much as they need to keep the opposing team from scoring—he is still a crutch for the Wings. Without him, the Wings would never be where they are today.
3. Henrik Zetterberg
19 of 21
It really is incredible what the Wings were able to do in the first round of the playoffs without the help of this man. Henrik Zetterberg has become one of the elite players in the NHL and it is hard to imagine the firepower the Wings possess with him back in the lineup against San Jose.
"Z" led the Red Wings in regular-season points with 80 points in 80 games. A knee injury has kept him sidelined for the last two games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. With plenty of rest Zetterberg will be an enormous factor in Round 2, which is why he ranks No. 3 on this list.
2. Jimmy Howard
20 of 21
The surprise story of Round 1 was Jimmy Howard. In his "sophomore slump" season (can a 91 percent save percentage be a slump?), he has led the Wings to their 20th consecutive playoff appearance.
Howard came up huge in the first round, standing tall when he needed to. Many people say Howard isn't good enough to win the Cup for the Wings but many people don't understand that the Wings don't need a goalie to win them a Cup.
Detroit's goaltenders always catch flak for not putting out 40 and 50-save wins because they rarely have to. Howard's sole goal in the playoffs is to make the big save when he needs to and he has done more than that.
The goalie is always one of the most important factors on a team and with Chris Osgood out, Jimmy has the team on his shoulders. He needs to continue to put out performances like he did against the 'Yotes and the Sharks' high-powered offense will be a serious test for him.
1. Pavel Datsyuk
21 of 21
Pavel Datsyuk was the Detroit Red Wings in Round 1. Notching six points in four games, Datsyuk lead the Wings in points and was clutch with big goals when we needed them.
He was the cover story of articles all over the web and I think people started praying to his highlight of the between the legs shot in which Helm jammed home the rebound. For the first year, Datsyuk was voted by Russia as the best Russian player in the league, beating out Alexander Ovechkin for the title.
The reason the Wings did what they did in Round 1 without Zetterberg is Datsyuk. He is the sole reason and with continued performances from him—in addition to the scoring touch of Z—the Wings could make a serious run at Lord Stanley.
Datsyuk is hands down the most important player on the Detroit squad for these playoffs and who knows—16-0 still has a shot!
.png?w=480 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=480 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=480)
.png?w=600 "B/R NHL Staff Second-Round Predictions 🏒")
