Halfway there, Red Wings Mid Season Report Cards

Let’s just get right to it…
Henrik Zetterberg – 40 – LW: 43 GP – 16 G – 49 P – +9
Halfway Analysis: Z-berg has really stepped up the plate, he was playing well all season, and then he lost his best linemate to a broken hand. How did he react? With a 9 game point streak and a push to over a point per game. Grade: A+
Pavel Datsyuk – 13 – C: 33 GP – 12 G – 39 P – +8
Halfway Analysis: Datsyuk was well on his way to a solid 80 point season and was mentioned in several discussions for the Hart Trophy, then he tripped over Samuelsson and broke his hand, leaving for at least 6 weeks. Grade: A-
Tomas Holmstrom – 96 – RW: 43 GP – 11 G – 22 P – +1
Halfway analysis: Holmer is quietly building up a 25-30 goal season. He never stands out much unless there’s a powerplay, but he is still one of the best at what he does. Grade: B+
Todd Bertuzzi – 44 – LW: 43 GP – 7 G – 27 P – -1
Halfway analysis: Fallen on some hard times since my last review, eh Bert? Well, he hasn’t played as well as he was, but he’s still a solid performer. Needs to pick his shots better and play harder on the backcheck. The fact that he fell from a +11 to a minus one is bad. Grade: B-
Valtteri Filppula – 51 – C: 41 GP – 10 G – 25 P – +1
Halfway Analysis:  Filppula again continues to underperform in my eyes, he shows signs of brilliance at times, and his 14.93 shooting percentage goes to show that he can hit the back of the net if he shoots more. He still looks for the pass and plays too defensively at times. Grade: B-
Johan Franzen – 93 – RW:  42 GP – 18 G – 33 P – +2
Halfway Analysis:  The Mule has shown more grit and determination, but sometimes it feels like his shoot from anywhere mentality can be more of a hindrance than an asset. He’s leading the team in goals and shook his only scoring at home issue, but I keep expecting more from him. Grade: A-
Jiri Hudler – 26 – LW: 38 GP – 3 G – 9 P – -8
Halfway analysis: Hudler still has the worst +/- on the team despite the fact that he has been given numerous chances and playing time. He went on a bit of tear for a few games, and has lately shown improvement in his play and work ethic, but he needs to show it on the score sheet. Grade: D+
Mike Modano – 90 – C: 20 GP – 2 G – 8 P – -3
Halfway Analysis: Modano hasn’t played a single game since the previous report card.  Grade: Inconclusive
Danny Cleary – 11- RW: 35 GP – 16 G – 26 P – +6
Halfway Analysis: Clears was off to a career year, and then got his ankle broken by a Brad Stuart slap shot that caught him in the way, yet he still could come back and score 30 goals, impressively done for someone who had a real off year. Grade: A-
Justin Abdelkader – 8 – LW: 35 GP – 3 G – 10 P – +12
Halfway Analysis: Abby started off hot, and then stopped scoring goals, despite that he still is a noticeable presence on the ice and can grind out and wear down opposing players. He is tied for +/- with Rafalski, and that can’t be denied. Grade: B
Andrew Miller – 20 – LW: 36 GP – 1 G – 6 P – -1
Halfway Analysis: Miller hasn’t had the best of luck through this season as he did last year, but he still brings consistent solid play and knows how to kill penalties. Grade: B-
Darren Helm – 43 – C: 43 GP – 4 G – 17 P – +6
Halfway Analysis: Helm has picked up his game a bit more and is showing he can work on his finishing touch, as well as generate the same speed we know he can. He is a shorthanded threat and can instantly make a breakaway. Grade: B+
Patrick Eaves – 17 – RW: 35 GP – 12 G – 15 P – +3
Halfway Analysis: Eaves has shown that he is a valuable asset and I truly hope he stays with this team, he plays his role well in penalty kills and is a vicious shooter, in top five for shooting percentage at 21.05%. A solid third liner who has already equaled his goal output from last season. Grade: A
Kris Draper – 33 – C: 15 GP – 3 G – 4 P – +1
Halfway Analysis: Draper has shown that he can still play, and has scored some pretty good goals, he has great chemistry with Helm and Eaves and is a solid contributor on and off the ice. Grade: B+
Nicklas Lidstrom – 5 – D: 43 GP – 11 G – 41 P – +/- 0
Halfway Analysis: You just can’t say enough about our very own cyborg. He’s still got it, and it proving it by his near point-per-game stats. He seems to have missed a bit of a step defensively, with his +/- suffering, but he makes our Powerplay work. Grade: A+
Brian Rafalski – 28 – D: 32 GP – 3 G – 30 P – +12
Halfway Analysis: Rafalski has proven he is still an incredible talent in the NHL, and after 800 games is a top defenseman. He had a goal scoring drought, but kept himself near a point per game based on perfect breakout passes. He has been a stalwart on defense with anyone he’s partnered with, but needs to cut down on poor passes in the zone. Grade: A-
Niklas Kronwall – 55 – D: 43 GP – 8 G – 21 P – +3
Halfway Analysis: I take it back Kronwall, don’t be physical. Because the only time since our last report, you let up a 2 on 1. So just keep your play as you are, and you’ll be fine. He comes up with clutch goals and I really dig his fake out move he’s throwing on powerplays. Grade: B+
Brad Stuart – 23 – D: 41 GP – 3 G – 12 P – +7
Halfways Analysis: As proven from earlier statements, he could be the worst loss for the Wings on injury, he will be missed for his solid defensive play. Grade: A-
Ruslan Salei – 24 – D: 42 GP – 0 G – 6 P – +2
Halfway Analysis: As I was scolded for my previous criticism of Salei, I made more of a point to watch him in games. And he is a solid contributor in his own way, he is the only Wing without an actual goal (Aside Kindl’s pressbox seat), but he does his job and is a solid sixth defenseman. Grade: B
Jonathan Ericsson – 52 – D: 35 GP – 2 G – 10 P – +7
Halfway Analysis: Ericsson has had the turnaround we all hoped for, and is proving to be a valid defenseman in the league. He left behind the emotional problems he had last year, and is slowly building a great season. I feel confidant when he has the puck now. Grade: B
Jakub Kindl – 46 – D:  15 GP – 0 G – 0 P – -1
Halfway Analysis: Not much more to say about the kid, as he’s only played officially four more games since I last rated him, but I still am hoping to see the brilliance that was touted about him. Grade: C
Jan Mursak – 39 – RW: 8 GP – 1 G – 1 P – -2
Halfway Analysis: Mursak was someone I never paid much attention to in the AHL because he seemed like a bit more of the same, but he has shown off incredible speed and relentless puck hounding on opposing defense, his goal against Colorado was a play of beauty. Keep it up. Grade: B
Tomas Tatar – 21 – LW: 5 GP – 1 G – 1 P – +1
Halfway Analysis: Tatar didn’t have much of a look, but for the five games he suited up, I loved his passion and play. He made an incredible backcheck in the Calgary game that possibly saved the gamewinning goal, and he showed pretty good determination in his shot selection and puck handling. Loved his goal celebration and I can’t wait to see more. Grade: B
Jimmy Howard – 35 – G: 33 GP – 22 W – 7 L – 3 OTL – .907 SV% – 2.78 GAA – 2 SO
Halfway Analysis: Howard entered the second quarter of the season and hit a bit of a slump, showing less than stellar play, and even getting pulled. I think he’s shaken that off, and came out dominant in the Canucks game. You can really only blame him solely for one of the goals in Colorado. He is still leading the league in Wins. Grade: A-
Chris Osgood – 30 – G: 11 GP – 5 W – 3 L – 2 OTL – .903 SV% – 2.77 GAA – 0 SO
Halfway Analysis: Osgood came out and proved me a little wrong, he had some strong starts and really showed that he can be a standard backup if need be, at least, when he comes back from his significant groin tear. Ouch. Grade: B-
Joey MacDonald – 31 – G: 2 GP – 0 W – 1 L – 0 OTL – .917 SV% – 1.85 GAA – 0 SO
Halfway Analysis: J-Mac is probably the biggest person I got burned on from my last analysis, so I decided to wipe the slate clean when I heard he got a recall. And you know what? He played pretty damn good in Colorado after being shoveled into a 4-1 game. That David Jones goal was saveable, and he went into desperation a little too quick, but he seemed proficient. Grade: B-
Special Teams:
Power Play – 23.3% – 3rd – The Powerplay has again proven to be the Wings best asset, as they consistently are a threat on it. With Pav, Hank, Holmer, Lidstrom and Rafalski being possibly the best powerplay force in the NHL. Grade: A
Penalty Kill – 82.2% – 17th – The Penalty Kill however, has proven to be a bit more of a weakness than we once thought, losing Stuart is only going to hamper that, so they need to be a little more cautious. They have however continued to build on clearing the puck. Grade: B-
As requested, here is also the expected return of several injuries:
Danny Cleary: Injured 12/27/10, Fractured Ankle. Prognosis: At least 4 weeks. Projected return date: Early February.
Pavel Datsyuk: Injured 12/22/10, broken right hand. Prognosis: 4-6 weeks. Placed on IR 1/10/11. Projected return date: Late February depending on rehab.
Mike Modano: Injured 11/26/10, cut tendon in forearm/wrist. Prognosis: 3 Months. Projected return date after successful surgery: end of March, depending on rehab, possibly early March.
Brad Stuart: Injured 1/7/11, broken jaw. Prognosis: Out 6-8 weeks. Projected return date: mid to late March.
Chris Osgood: Injured sometime in November/December, sports hernia. Prognosis: Out 6-8 weeks. Projected return date following successful surgery: Early March.