Detroit Red Wings should expect more from Thomas Vanek

Thomas Vanek, left wing for the Detroit Red Wings, missed three weeks of action due to a knee injury. In his absence, the team won six of eight games. Since his return two weeks ago, the recently hot Red Wings have cooled, winning only three times.

Looking solely at those numbers, it may be tempting to say the Detroit Red Wings are better off without Thomas Vanek. This is ludicrous; a team is more than the sum of its parts. But while the streaks of a team cannot be attributed to a single player, of course, the Red Wings clearly need Vanek at his best in order to keep winning.

Unfortunately, Vanek had struggled this season even before the injury. His offensive results have taken a dip this year, and slowness on defense makes him a bit of a liability. In fact, his -7 goal differential is currently tied for worst on the team. While he was out, the Red Wings were able to promote some younger legs to revitalize the offense. Notably, his absence freed up some ice-time for other forwards such as Michael Rasmussen, who scored goals in three straight games.

For his first four games back, Vanek hardly contributed very much. He struggled to get many shots and seemed generally behind on offense. Only two assists demonstrates the lack of output over those games. Other players had worse games, to be sure, but the Red Wings have come to expect more consistency from Vanek, and he was consistently below average immediately following the injury.

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Then, hosting the Blues on Wednesday, Vanek finally shook off some of the rust. He notched his third goal and sixth assist in just eleven minutes on the ice as the Wings eked out the nail-biting victory. He was able to create a few shots for himself, including being in the right place in front of the net for the feed from Gus Nyquist in the second period. All around, he looked comfortable on the ice for the first time since his injury.

In his second tenure with the Red Wings, Thomas Vanek has not been quite as dynamic as his first go-around. Two years ago, Vanek finished the season fifth on the Red Wings in points, despite playing in only 48 games for the team. Now nearing 35, it is perhaps unreasonable to expect a return to those levels. He could, however, provide some solid offense on the power play, a department in which he has excelled throughout his career. While improved this season, the Red Wings need to enhance their offense with a man advantage.

The Detroit Red Wings need Thomas Vanek to keep getting better this season. He trended upward on Wednesday against St. Louis. After outings with the Bruins and the Avalanche this weekend, the Red Wings will have a better idea of his production going forward.