NHL Predictions: Johan Franzen and 5 Other Detroit Red Wings on the Hot Seat

To be fair, these are usually the kind of articles I hate.

You know, the ones that make predictions about players and which of them need to "step up" during the season before the season even begins?

Forget that the season has yet to get underway and NHL training camps won't even open for another few weeks.

So, how is it fair to single out any players and put them under a microscope with so little empirical evidence to influence any conclusions that might be drawn once examined?

Again, this is the question that I ask when reading such predictions and it may very well be the one that springs to your mind when reading this one.

As irksome as I find articles like this, I feel somewhat confident in saying that, even now, well before training camp and long before the season begins, there are a few Detroit Red Wings that will start the 2011-12 season under some amount of scrutiny.

Call it a "short leash," call it "thin ice." I'm calling it a "hot seat." There are six Red Wings that will be counted on to contribute in significant ways this season, yet will need to do so amid swirling doubts regarding their probability of delivering.

Now, what does being on the "hot seat" actually mean?

Well, that depends on the player.

For some, it could mean the threat of decreased playing time. For others, it might mean being put on the trading block, or worse, the waiver wire.

Whatever the impending consequence, six players are expected to do the most with the ice time they get this season, or else.

What follows is a list of those six players based on a sliding scale of heat associated with their particular seat.

In other words, the first player will have a fair amount of warmth under his rear whereas the last one will be in perilous danger of butt-combustion.

Johan Franzen

It may be tough to justify a routine 20-goal scorer appearing on a list like this, but, in Johan Franzen's case, I think it's warranted.

Franzen battled head and ankle injuries last season, which limited him to 76 games.

Still, even with a slightly-shortened campaign, the Red Wings expected more scoring out of the Mule than the 28 goals he potted in 2010-11.

Added to the concerns about the lower than expected total is the fact that five of these came in a single game against the Ottawa Senators and that extraordinary outburst ushered in a 14-game scoring drought immediately after.

By March, what was expected to be a 40-goal year for the Mule (head coach Mike Babcock seemed certain Franzen would hit that mark), was shaping up to be a campaign that would see the Swedish winger finish below the 30-goal mark.

As he is Detroit's premiere power forward, and has exhibited heaps of offensive brilliance in the past, Johan Franzen must contribute early and often this season if his team is to play up to its collective potential.

40 goals is not at all out of the question given Franzen's size, skating ability and offensive prowess, but if he's not on his way to that mark after 20 games or so, the temperature under his backside will quickly climb.

Ian White

Talk about unfair.

This poor guy has yet to play a game as a Red Wing and already he's being put on this list.

Ian White isn't expected to be the No. 1 blue-liner in Detroit but, as he was brought in to replace the retired Brian Rafalski, contributing to the offense on a consistent basis while remaining defensively responsible is exactly what the Red Wings will be asking of him.

White has certainly shown that he has the potential to be a quality power-play quarterback and sound defensive-zone player in the NHL.

However, to this point, he hasn't been able to click consistently with the teams and/or systems he's played in (in six NHL seasons, White has never amassed more than 26 points).

Detroit is likely as good a place as any for a smallish, mobile defender with offensive upside to thrive, and the Red Wings certainly hope this turns out to be the case.

His short-term, relatively cheap ($2.87 million per year) contract was designed to be movable if need be.

If White ends up being a bust in Motown, it's unlikely he'll finish the year in red and white.

Jimmy Howard

It doesn't matter if he won a Stanley Cup the year before or if he tanked more often than the Dow Jones Industrial Average, if a man plays goal for Detroit, he is always going to be on this list.

Jimmy Howard didn't have a bad season last year, but it certainly wasn't as good as his breakout campaign in 2009-10.

In a couple months, he'll be heading into his third year as the undisputed starter, but, unlike previous years, he won't have his friend and mentor, Chris Osgood, keeping a steady eye on him from the bench.

Though Osgood's play had been in steady decline over the past two seasons, his experience nevertheless provided a valuable support system for the still-developing Howard.

As Osgood is now retired, Jimmy Howard will be left largely to his own devices in net and the pressure to not only play well during the season, but take his team deep into the playoffs will be as strong as it's ever been.

While Howard has passed the smell test associated with his ability to be a solid NHL netminder, his next task is to convince his team and the world that he is capable of playing a consistently solid game night in and night out, while sprinkling in a handful of jaw-dropping performances along the way.

His momentum doesn't suggest his game is heading south, but, should Howard struggle for any length of time, Mike Babcock won't hesitate to give backup Ty Conklin an extended stay in Detroit's cage.

Valtteri Filppula

Given his work ethic and penchant for raising his game in the post-season, it's tough to put a guy like Valtteri Filppula on a list like this.

However, his inability to consistently utilize his obvious offensive potential is starting to decrease his value to the team, and his ice-time.

Once thought to be well on his way to becoming a two-way force in the mold of Henrik Zetterberg, Filppula's habit for passing up shots and forcing plays that aren't there has become a frustrating hallmark of his play.

While his defensive play remains solid and his speed and forechecking well above average, Filppula's inability to eclipse the 20-goal mark or rise above 40 points in six NHL seasons may go a long way towards convincing GM Ken Holland to add Filppula to his list of trade options.

Simply shooting the puck more might be all Filppula needs to do to realize his potential.

If so, he'd better pick up that habit in the pre-season or he may never see another post-season in Detroit.

Jonathan Ericsson

When I saw that the Red Wings had signed Jonathan Ericsson to a three-year deal on June 30th, just hours before free-agency began, I was ambivalent.

When I saw that that deal would pay him $3.25 million per season, I was dumbfounded.

True, Ericsson is big, mobile and has shown flashes of offensive smarts, but $3.25 million for a defender that has more potential than realized talent seemed too steep a price to pay.

Then July 1st hit and a slew of bloated contracts were handed out to free-agent defensemen and all of a sudden, what looked like overpayment one day, appeared to be nothing more than a market-driven price adjustment.

Relative to Ed Jovonaski at $4 million per year, Ericsson's salary looks more reasonable.

Comparative value aside, Ericsson has a lot to live up to this season.

He's got all the makings of a great NHL rearguard: size, speed and skill.

He's got one of the greatest players of all time in Nicklas Lidstrom to guide him.

He has a legitimate shot at establishing himself as a top-four defender in Detroit.

He's had all of this for two seasons and has yet to take full advantage of it.

The Red Wings clearly believe Ericsson can deliver on the promise he's shown over the past several seasons, and with 3.25 million reasons to do so, he better hope he starts delivering immediately, lest the pressure derail his development further.

Jiri Hudler

Clearly, you had to see this one coming.

There's not much to say here.

Hudler's performance last season was one of the biggest busts of the year in 2010-11.

The 70 points Mike Babcock reasonably expected at the start of the year looked like pure idiocy halfway through.

Hudler knows he is going to be on a painfully short leash this season and should he fail to perform, and in a timely fashion, his days in Detroit, and perhaps even the NHL, will likely come to an unceremonious end.

Follow Matt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MAhutter12