Let’s just get right to it…
Henrik Zetterberg – 40 – LW: 80 GP – 24 G – 80 P – -1
Final Analysis: Zetterberg had another good year, not great, but I say that because he has the opportunity I feel to be a premier sniper in the league, and it’s just a little disappointing that he hasn’t gotten back to the 30 goal plateau. He ended up 5th in the League in shots, and 18th in powerplay goals. Still a good year for him despite missing a lot of key players on his wing. Grade: A
Pavel Datsyuk – 13 – C: 58 GP – 23 G – 59 P – +11
Final Analysis: Datsyuk didn’t fail to disappoint on his return after breaking his hand, despite also missing a little time before the end. If he can return like he did in the season in the playoffs, he’s going to dominate. This team is a completely different, and better, monster with him in the lineup. Grade: A
Tomas Holmstrom – 96 – RW: 73 GP – 18 G – 37 P – -6
Final analysis: Well, he killed my 25 goal plateau, but the team itself kind of slowed on the powerplay. Holmstrom still is the best at what he does by creating opportunities on the powerplay, while pissing off both defenders and goalies. Just, please, keep your ass from hanging over the crease. Grade: A-
Todd Bertuzzi – 44 – LW: 81 GP – 16 G – 45 P – -7
Final analysis: Bertuzzi has been an incredible enigma. He plays spectacularly at times, carrying the team on his back. He scored more goals again than I think was expected of him, and actually was a dominant force at times. He’s proven to be a good performer, and the newfound chip on his shoulder will only improve his play come postseason. Grade: B+
Valtteri Filppula – 51 – C: 71 GP – 16 G – 39 P – -1
Final Analysis: Filppula and Hudler both fall into the same raft on the SS Red Wings, “Lifeboat available, who needs help getting in?” The problem is, they say this on the last damn raft. He needs to stop being so defensive minded, as crazy as it sounds, and become a more selfish, offensive force. He has the abilities and the hands to do it, but he needs to get over the mind block in his head and perform. Grade: B-
Johan Franzen – 93 – RW: 76 GP – 28 G – 55 P – +5
Final Analysis: After a 5 goal outburst against Ottawa after the All Star Break, the Mule was replaced with the Goat. He was timid and despite good chances, he couldn’t hit the twine. It was a great shame, because if he didn’t lose his heat, he could’ve gotten close to 40 goals. He needs to use his size and strength to his advantage, throw defensemen down and push to the net. Despite that, he led the team in goals, so I’m forced to give him an… Grade: A
Jiri Hudler – 26 – LW: 73 GP – 10 G – 37 P – -7
Final analysis: Hudler showed great promise during a month stretch, showing just why we fought so hard to get him back from Russia, yet I still think he’s got massive room for improvement. He was a 20 goal scorer, and he only duplicated half of that. He has great hands, and along the boards the Wings might not have a much better passer. But, he showed great improvement after the All-Star Break. Grade: C+
Mike Modano – 90 – C: 40 GP – 4 G – 15 P – -4
Final Analysis: Modano gets a bit of a pass from me here, maybe it’s the local hero thing, maybe it’s because he’s 40. But he only played 40 games this year, and he really underperformed. I think his biggest contribution this year is a quote he just made saying if the Wings go deep, he’s done. That’s some Dallas Drake mojo right there. Grade: C+
Danny Cleary – 11- RW: 68 GP – 26 G – 46 P – -1
Final Analysis: Cleary did indeed have a career year, despite missing 24 games due to injury, he easily could’ve passed Franzen and been the team MVP with a probably 35 goal campaign. He came back strong and hard, and didn’t miss a beat. He drives the net, and despite his size, shows the heart of a true powerfoward. Cleary stepped up big this year. Grade: A
Justin Abdelkader – 8 – LW: 74 GP – 7 G – 19 P – +15
Final Analysis: Abdelkader showed his true colors this year to me, I truly don’t believe he’ll be the power forward we were hoping for, but perhaps the next coming of Kirk Maltby. Which thank god, because as any jackass will point out, “the wings suck, they’re soft euros”. I’m not agreeing, because they can play tough as hell when they need to, but Abby brings that inherently to his game. He will throw his body with no regard, and that’s a great thing because it wears teams down, so all in all, he deserves his grade. Grade: B
Andrew Miller – 20 – LW: 67 GP – 10 G – 18 P – -2
Final Analysis: The thing about Drew Miller is he’s a guy that will surprise you. He came on strong at the end of the season when the team needed him, and he is a great secondary scorer for the team. Grade: B
Darren Helm – 43 – C: 82 GP – 12 G – 32 P – +9
Final Analysis: Helm had a career year and got the spotlight he deserved. He was the ironman, and went all 82 games for the club. He consistently proved his worth on the PK with his speed and hustle, he created scoring chances constantly, and showed he has the ability to be a goal scorer. He is the future Kris Draper to this team, and he can even surpass that greatness. He has the ability to score goals. Grade: A
Patrick Eaves – 17 – RW: 63 GP – 13 G – 20 P – -2
Final Analysis: Sadly, Eaves plummeted off a cliff after the All-Star break. He still is a great addition to this team and is an invaluable grinder on the PK, but his lack of production in the second half really took a hit to his evaluation. Grade: B-
Kris Draper – 33 – C: 47 GP – 6 G – 11 P – +1
Final Analysis: Draper hit a bit of a senior slump at the end of the season, despite being caught in a rotating fourth line, he showed grit. The only criticism I have that could be expected for his role was shot selection. Too many times I’d see him use his speed to create an odd-man rush, only to fire a slap shot wide which gave the opponent that same opportunity. Grade: B
Nicklas Lidstrom – 5 – D: 82 GP – 16 G – 62 P – – 2
Final Analysis: Once again, what can you say about Nick? He’s earned his nickname of The Perfect Human on and off the ice, and has shed the idea of “Age ruins skills”. He had a Norris-deserving season, despite his negative rating and barely being inched out in points by Visnovski of the Ducks. He iron-manned a full season. Grade: A+
Brian Rafalski – 28 – D: 63 GP – 4 G – 44 P – +11
Final Analysis: The Dearborn native again proved he is still a solid offensive defenseman, while slowing on goal scoring, he still was able to be a solid contributor on the powerplay and at even strength. He showed defensive lapses, but despite injury, proved his worth. Grade: A-
Niklas Kronwall – 55 – D: 77 GP – 11 G – 37 P – +5
Final Analysis: Despite starting strong, he failed a bit down the stretch. Some lackluster play combined with a goal scoring drought to rival Franzen, he played solidly enough to redeem himself. Grade: B+
Brad Stuart – 23 – D: 67 GP – 3 G – 20 P – +4
Finals Analysis: Brad Stuart is still a solid defenseman and even after getting his jaw broke, he came back and threw someone into the boards in his first game. It’s that kind of toughness that compliments skill players like Nick Lidstrom. Grade: A-
Ruslan Salei – 24 – D: 75 GP – 2 G – 10 P – +/- 0
Final Analysis: Ruslan Salei kind of started to regress in my mind (and before I get yelled at, Babcock agreed), he seemed to really slow down, and I think the competition for the sixth spot with Kindl is only good for the team and his play. Grade: B-
Jonathan Ericsson – 52 – D: 74 GP – 3 G – 15 P – +8
Final Analysis: Ericsson is still confusing the hell out of me. As soon as I start complimenting him, he starts to show kinks in the armor, he still had a decent year, and showed enough improvement to warrant another contract, but I can’t help but think he’s capable of more. Grade: B-
Jakub Kindl – 46 – D: 48 GP – 2 G – 4 P – -6
Final Analysis: Kindl got his chance when Stuart got his head torn off, and he didn’t play badly. He calmed down, made the easier decisions, and showed he has quite a bit of defensive prowess. It’s great for him to be paired with a guy like Stuart or Salei in that it might make him more comfortable to make more offensive plays, which he started to show. Grade: B-
Jimmy Howard – 35 – G: 63 GP – 37 W – 17 L – 5 OTL – .908 SV% – 2.79 GAA – 2 SO
Final Analysis: Jimmy Howard kind of is a hard grade this year. I think overall, he showed incredible improvement and in my opinion, quieted my fears for him as a starting goaltender for the Wings. In several games he was left out to dry by his team and some goals showed visible frustration at it going in, and knowing it wasn’t his fault. He finished in the top five in two important categories: Wins (3rd) and goals allowed (4th) Grade: A
Chris Osgood – 30 – G: 11 GP – 5 W – 3 L – 2 OTL – .903 SV% – 2.77 GAA – 0 SO
Final Analysis: Osgood didn’t get the chance to return from injury, so nothing new on this front. His overall season was pretty lackluster, but he could still be a capable backup. Grade: C+
Joey MacDonald – 31 – G: 15 GP – 5 W – 5 L – 3 OTL – .917 SV% – 2.58 GAA – 1 SO
Final Analysis: What was that? Joey MacDonald is a good backup? He should maybe start instead of Howard? Oh, here comes St. Louis. Here. We. Go. 7 goals. What just happened? MacDonald got thrown into the limelight, and people loved him when Howard was injured, but the team also played pretty well in front of him. He played alright, but not enough to impress me or change my initial opinion of the guy. Sorry J-Mac. Grade: D
Special Teams:
Power Play – 22.3% – 5th – The powerplay faltered a bit in the end of the season, but they still showed just how dominant they are with the man advantage, and Nick Lidstrom may be near irreplaceable on the point. Grade: A
Penalty Kill – 82.3% – 17th – And now the Wings come back to the same, they improved by a tenth of a percentile, but overall, they’re fairly competent on the PK. The only hinderance lately has been their inability to hit the glass, rather than airmailing it to some lucky fan. Grade: B-
And now, some fun opinions on the year…
Greatest game:
St. Louis at Detroit, 12/15/2010:
The man who has done everything else in the league did the one thing that eluded him for 20 years: Earning his first career hat trick, with an empty netter to seal a 5-2 victory. In his own words…
“It feels great, I’ve never in my life been able to notch 3 goals in a game”. That game made him the oldest player in NHL History to record his first career hat trick, and the oldest defenseman in history to do it as well.
Worst game
St. Louis at Detroit, 03/30/2010
In which the Wings are heading for the playoffs, they look at an opponent ready to fall into the shadows. A flat start, and zero interest in playing, gives a hometown crowd a 10-3 wallop. Giving up eight goals in two periods, and 10 total, it was the first time since Wayne Gretzky and the Kings destroyed them in 1993 that they gave up so many goals.
Best goal
Detroit at St. Louis 03/12/2011
Pavel Datsyuk shows why he is one of the best players in the world, and he dekes through two Blues at the right dot, skates unopposed to the front of the net, and just blows by a helpless Halak and defenseman. The human magic show had many highlights this year, but this combined it all.
Honorable mentions:
Datsyuk 3/11/11 vs Oilers, OT winner
Zetterberg 3/16/2011 vs Capitals, PP Goal (Backhanded snipe)
Nick Lidstrom 3/28/2011 vs Blackhawks. Perfect one timer. His bread and butter personified.
Tomas Holmstrom 12/6/2010 vs Sharks. Classic Holmer. Even breaks the goal cam.
Johan Franzen 2/2/2011 vs Ottawa. Five goals can’t be denied.
Best player
Easily Nick Lidstrom. He goes the yard with 82 games, and a Norris-deserving performance. No doubt here, but Helm and Zetterberg make good cases.
Best teammate
Henrik Zetterberg. He shows the reasons and proves he is the next captain of this team. Every loss, he blames himself. Every win, he compliments his team and defends his goaltender. He is a Red Wing to his sole, and barely beat out Lidstrom for this award.
What about you? What awards would you give out to the team this year?
