This Season’s Top Five Detroit Red Wings (So Far)
With more than half the season under their belts; the Detroit Red Wings are doing pretty well for themselves. The battle for a playoff place is being won, and the team are starting to look like a serious contender for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
It’s tricky to pick just five players to make this list, but here goes. We’re starting with a Swedish blue-liner who’s playing his 12th season in Detroit:
Niklas Kronwall
Niklas Kronwall is arguably the best defenseman to play to play for Detroit since Nick Lidstrom retired. His hits are fearsome and he’s as comfortable with scoring opportunities as he is defending his own net. He’s reliable too, no other Red Wings D-Man has played more games than him this season. At the time of writing he’s on 45 games, tied with Danny DeKeyser.
His presence on the ice always give opposing teams something to be wary of, and he’s on the ice a lot. Kronwall averages 30.1 shifts per game, only DeKeyser can edge him on this stat, he’s on 30.2. One statistic that his higher than any other of his team mates (not including goalies) is Time On Ice; Kronwall leads the team with 22.45 per game. That’s fifth best in the division.
Presence isn’t everything though, production is also important. Kronwall has only found the net three times himself so far this season, but he’s assisted on 14 more.
Unfortunately we might not be able to see Kronwall improve on those numbers any time soon; he’s been sidelined by injury.
Here’s a video of Kronwall taking Mark Letestu off the puck in his own particular style:
Next: Our favorite Slovakian forward
Tomas Tatar
Tomas Tatar edged out some strong competition to get the fourth spot on this list, the Slovak left winger hasn’t missed a beat this season and has put in ice time in every game. He’s strong on the power-play too, having scored 6 power-play goals. More than any other Red Wing so far.
Statistically we love Tatar, 14 goals so far this season is second only to Dylan Larkin. Add in his 14 assists and his 28 total points sees him third on the team. It’s not hard to see why we love Tats, he’s reliable and efficient and it’s safe to say his spot on the roster is safe for a while.
He may not be the biggest guy on the team, but he’s always about and always a threat when through on goal. Here’s Tatar notching a hat-trick back in September:
Next: 'Mrazekal' is now a word
Petr Mrazek
If you’re not using the word ‘Mrazekal’ in everyday language, you should be. Petr Mrazek has it tough, some goalies know that they’re the first choice for their team, Mrazek has to constantly contend with Jimmy Howard threatening to take his place.
Mrazek is agile and has great situational awareness, and when everyone else is beaten, he’s been the deciding factor in several games this season. Statistically his .932 save percentage is the third best in the NHL (if only counting goalies who’ve played more than five games). That’s pretty spectacular considering the young Czech is only 23.
It’s still up in the air as to whether or not Mrazek will remain the first choice for Detroit, although based on his performances so far, he’s put in a damn good pitch. Kris definitely thinks so. In the meantime, let’s watch him do what he does best:
Next: The Big Z
Henrik Zetterberg
Man, deciding between the second and first place on this list was tough. Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg is one of the best servants the team has ever had. His 33 points sees him second on the roster, although 24 of those points have come from assists. Only nine other skaters in the division have more assists to their name.
We’ve definitely got a lot of love for Z, and his contribution to the Red Wings this season has been vital.
This season has already seen Zetterberg hit one career milestone, in November he scored his 300th NHL goal, in a 2-1 win over the old enemy Toronto.
Let’s watch Z do what he does best:
Skills.
Next: A young lad who's doing pretty well
Dylan Larkin
At the start of the season I had high hopes for this young rookie, but didn’t think for a moment he’d be performing as well as he is. From Detroit’s opening game of the season:
Larkin made a big statement by aiming to skip right past the AHL and move to the big league, and boy has he backed that up. 15 goals so far this season and 18 assists.
A big shout goes to coach Blashill who’s been able to get the best out of Larkin by experimenting with the lines and it’s left the rookie with the best +/- in the NHL (24). He’s speedy too, at the All Star Game, he broke Mike Gartner’s record for fastest skater.
We talk about Larkin all the time here, and with good reason. From initial scepticism to outright awe, the youngster is having the time of his life at the moment and can still improve. It’s a big sweeping statement to make but he’s probably the future of success in Detroit.
What do you think? Agree/disagree? Who are your top five Wings? Join in and comment below.
LGRW.