The Detroit Red Wings are far from the best team in hockey, but with Mike Green healthy again, they may be able to win more games. This could be a good thing unless you’re on the “Lose for (Jack) Hughes” bandwagon.
This past summer, the Detroit Red Wings made a move to bring back right defenseman Mike Green on a two-year contract worth around $5 million per season. Green’s resigning was favored by some fans. However, there were some who were not entirely pleased with the move.
Green’s impact this season is substantial, his veteran presence simply helps the younger players around him develop, it is apparent that he holds leadership and when he talks, they listen.
Overall, this season Green has totaled 17 total points, 3 goals and 14 assists for the Red Wings. Also, he is notably plus 9 this season which leads the team (though he is injured and has fewer games played). In the 24 games that Green has played in, he is averaging around 22 minutes per game each game which leads the team as well as a defenseman.
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The interesting thing about Green is his effect on others, he is an excellent veteran presence that has been with the team since 2015, and it shows. The Red Wings are 14-10-2 with Green in the lineup, and without him, they are 3-14-5, and that says something.
Besides the overall caliber of play is much better, he’s affecting the players around him in a positive way. He has become a mentor for the younger players like Dennis Cholowski and Nick Jensen. Cholowski being a rookie has even commented on Green saying that he would like to have a similar career to the 2-time All-star and four-time Norris Trophy candidate (2-time runner-up).
Jensen, 28, may not be considered a “younger” player but he was brought up later in his career (given more time to develop in the minors) and having that he is younger than Green, he is able to learn and grow from the veteran.
Jensen has put up some good numbers in the 2018-19 campaign being a silent force for the Red Wings, and some of his success might just be coming from an increased veteran presence from guys like Green and Trevor Daley.
Another way Green impacts on the Red Wings is his ability to command a power-play. He may only have 2 assists for 2 points on the power-play this year for the Red Wings, but his ability to command a power-play and be the quarterback of it helps the Wings.
He has attempted 15 shots on the power-play, with 7 of those shots reaching the net for a true shot-on-goal. However, the Red Wings have a 17.4% conversion rate on the power-play which is 25th in the league. Getting Green back on the ice once he returns from injury would only help them increase their success on the power-play.
Green was injured on December 10th and has been out since then; the Red Wings were 2-8-3 while Green was out. In that stretch of 13 games, they have been outscored 44-33 by their opponents. Green returned to the lineup on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets, as well as playing Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.
In his first game back in Friday’s loss to the Jets, Green struggled to get back to his usual self as he was -2 on the night. However, Green did lead the Red Wings in shots with five total on the night. It would seem that he is going to need a few games to get going on the offensive side of things, although he was moving in the right direction in Friday’s contest.
In Green’s second game back from injury, the Detroit Red Wings captured a 5-2 victory over the Wild. Green logged a tick over 22 minutes, was plus 1 on the night and picked up an assist. He also played 1:55 seconds on the power-play. He did not get any shots on goal, but on the other end of the ice, he blocked two shots. He looked more like himself in tonight’s win.
The return of Green to the lineup could allow the Detroit Red Wings to get back on track unless of course, you’re in the “Lose for (Jack) Hughes” boat, (or “Lose for Kaapo Kakko” for that matter). Getting Green back into the lineup might be that spark the Red Wings need to get things rolling, not for a postseason run, but just enough to be competitive and hopefully let the veteran continue to help these younger players develop.