Powerplay Problems?

by Casey Richey on Oct 1, 2009 12:30 PM CDT in News Comment 5 comments

Watching some of the preseason games I couldn't help but notice how poor the powerplay was. I'm hoping that this is just a product of "it's preseason" but then again to some degree it's likely to carry over. I was curious if Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson, Jiri Hudler, and to a lesser extent Tomas Kopecky really had that much of an impact on our powerplay numbers. So I headed over to NHL.com's stats page and took a look. Here's the top 5 powerplay scorers from last year:

Henrik Zetterberg 12 G
Pavel Datsyuk 11 G
Johan Franzen 11 G
Nick Lidstrom 10 G
Marian Hossa 10 G

So the loss of one of the top 5 powerplay scorers isn't all that bad is it? But then I noticed that Samuelsson tallied 7 and Hudler 6 on the man advantage. Add in Kopecky's 1 G and that's a total of 24 goals, about 27% of the scoring on the powerplay. I guess it could still be worse right? Then I thought what about from the passing side of things? The four departed Wings totalled 50 assists (22 to Hudler alone) on the powerplay, about 28% of the assists.The numbers are nothing to scoff at and definitey raise the question to if the unit(s) will be the same this year.

Is there reason to worry? Probably not. I think coaching is just as important on the powerplay as the actual players themselves. Putting the guys in the right places is crucial with the man advantage and Babcock will adjust accordingly. The addition of Todd Bertuzzi will help because of his ability to screen the goalie like Tomas Holmstrom; not to mention Bertuzzi has a great shot for a bruiser. Jason Williams will likely join the unit because of his right-hand shot, one of the very few on the team. Lidstrom will quarterback the powerplay, as usual, along with Datsyuk--the two highest point producers on the powerplay a year ago.

I think the losses of Hudler's passing as well as Samuelsson and Hossa's shots will be missed at points but I also believe there is plenty of talent to fill the void. One guy that I think will have a breakout year on the powerplay is Valtteri Filppula because of his great passing game.

It'll take a while for the unit to get churning at full capacity but it also helps that the team plays disciplined hockey to stay out of the box and is able to draw numerous opportunities for the man advantage.

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How many Detroit things have I read this summer that try to downplay the fact that 3 valuable role players and 1 superstar? LOTS! True, I wouldnt be TOO worried until you know what you have, but I would be weary. Filppula looked good against that pushover (Farjestad), so we’ll see with thim. Todd Bertuzzi is another bad season away from playing in the KHL. He’s a washed-up douche.

Windy City Hockey

by The Admiral on Oct 1, 2009 2:40 PM CDT reply actions

douche? probably so. Washed up? maybe. I think he could fit well in the system this time around but then again I could be wrong. I think he’s probably getting close to calling it quits in general if this stint doesn’t work out but that’s just my speculation.

Winging It In Motown

by Casey Richey on Oct 1, 2009 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Bertuzzi

Bertuzzi is no more a douche than Adam Burish is. Being a douche usually doesn’t take away from a hockey player’s effectiveness, in fact in usually adds to it. Burish is a great example of that.

by dewman8810 on Oct 1, 2009 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions

should be “…the fact that you lost 3…”

Windy City Hockey

by The Admiral on Oct 1, 2009 2:41 PM CDT reply actions

I think people read too much into the “88 goals lost” type stuff. Those goals will be scored by others. Others will get that lost playing time and fill in. I think the biggest loss was Hudler’s presence on the power play, but that will be filled by Val Filppula. Williams for Samuelsson is really a wash, the only difference is that Sammy is a better trash talker and pest. Leino also is a good replacement for Hudler too. Kopecky is completely replaceable. Hossa is the only one that you can’t replace, but they won the Cup without him and he was just a bonus last year. I think they are a better team without Hossa. Guys are going to work harder too.

As far as Bertuzzi… he is a veteran who is completely capable of playing NHL hockey. If he plays well… great. If not, there are plenty of options the Wings can use.

by dewman8810 on Oct 1, 2009 11:32 PM CDT reply actions