Detroit Red Wings: Who Will Make Up This Year's 3rd and 4th Line?

The Red Wings always seems to get some big game performances from their third and fourth lines during the season and in the playoffs, and it is critical that such success continue if Detroit is to have another respectable season and venture far into the playoffs.

With the retirement of longtime Detroit Red Wing Kris Draper, many Red Wing fans will be waiting to see who will step up to claim his spot, among others, as player battles commence during the Red Wings training camp this fall.

Draper showed how hard it was to claim a spot in the starting line up on any given night, starting just 47 games.

Jiri Hudler and Mike Modano also showed frustration at being left off the starting roster (given Mike Modano did sustain severed tendons which caused him to miss three months of the season). Modano was limited to 40 game and Hudler benched a few times for poor production.

It will be interesting to see who coach Mike Babcock will use to fill the roles of the third and fourth line, as the line combinations he uses will ultimately affect the success of the team when the first and second lines cannot get it done.

1st and 2nd Lines

So before we can look at who the last few forwards will be, I just thought that it would be good to set what I believe to be the top six forwards on Detroit.

First Line: Cleary-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Second Line: Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi

Now I know some might dispute the lineups I just suggested, but regardless of who Babcock (or you armchair coaches) would like to put on the first or second line, you can rest assured that those six names will appear somewhere in the first two lines.

Having said that I will move on to the third line.

3rd Line

I'm not going to lie when I say that I struggled to leave Filppula off of the starting six forwards, but his depth as a center and his ability to win faceoffs (51.5 percent) was too much for me to leave out.

His scoring touch, and ability to hit the open man gives him the chance to consistently hit 40 points.

I would start Fils as the third line center, but he could easily be a top six forward.

At third line left wing: Jiri Hudler

Some Wings fans likely have Hudler in their dog house because of his 20-point drop-off from the last year he played in Detroit.

I would like to remind those fans that he played in Russia for a whole year, and although the KHL is a decent league, the NHL is the best league in the world and it takes some readjusting.

Now that Hudler is reacquainted with the NHL, and as long as his work ethic is good, I think he can find his scoring touch once again.

Hudler's speed and skill on the power play should make him a lock for the third line.

At third line right wing: Patrick Eaves

Eaves showed flashes of what he can be earlier in his career and that 20-goal area, and 30-point area is something that the Red Wings are obviously hoping he can get back.

The new three-year deal worth $1.2 million a season will hopefully not give Eaves any less motivation to play at a high level.

Eaves chipped in 20 points last season in 63 games, and Wings fans everywhere are hopeful for those numbers to get even better if Eaves plays a fuller season next year.

With the retirement of Draper and the highly unlikely chance of re-signing of Mike Modano, the Wings have room for someone to jump up and play on the third line.

That someone, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is Patrick Eaves.

4th Line

Fourth line center: Darren Helm

Helm appearing here should be no surprise to anyone; although he has the talent to play on the third line, Helm seemingly looks better on the fourth line.

Helm's face-off abilities are one of the best for any individual playing on the fourth line, winning 52.6 percent of the draws he takes—good for 31st in the NHL.

Helm simply does it all on the fourth line: skates hard (more like flies when he skates), finishes his checks and can score a few goals as well.

Helm put up 12 goals and 20 assists last year in a career year in both statistics.

Wings fans can expect more of the same, as long as Helm's work ethic stays the same.

Fourth line left wing: Justin Abdelkader

Justin Abdelkader made big strides last season, putting up seven goals and 12 assists in 74 games.

Abdelkader is still young like Helm at 24 years old, and his production could get even better as he continues to learn the nuances of the game.

Abdelkader's desire to finish hits has earned him a seemingly permanent spot on the fourth line.

Fourth line right wing: Drew Miller

Miller played 66 games last season, putting up 10 goals and nine assists.

The previous high in games that Miller had played was 27 games with Anaheim.

This season with the roster battles possibly not as intense during the regular season as they were last year, Miller could play even more, and his scoring touch is still developing so he could see his numbers rise as well.

It will be interesting to watch the roster battles that commence for this last spot on the fourth line because Miller is a bit on the small side for his weight, and seemingly might not belong on this fourth line at all.

Watch for Babcock to switch him in with the more finesse third line as he sees fit.

Roster Battles and Final Thoughts

Roster battles happen at every training camp, and Detroit's training camp is no different.

Players like Jan Mursak (pictured above), Cory Emmerton and Tomas Tatar will all get significant looks and chances to make the big squad during training camp.

However, ultimately it will be up to the players themselves to make the team. Barring any unforeseen injuries or circumstances, the players I already mentioned are most likely going to be the starting crew come the regular season.

Watch for some players to make the squad solely so they do not have to be put on waivers and risk being lost to other teams.

Whatever ends up happening in training camp one thing is for certain, this year the Wings will be a younger squad up front.

Don't let that fool you, because they will still be just as dangerous if not more than last season.