Red Wings Player Grades: Assessing Detroit’s Veterans
Sam Gagner
2021 Statline
Games Played: 42
Goals: 7
Assists: 8
+/-: -4
Preseason Projection
Middle/Bottom Pairing Winger or Center
2021 Season in a Nutshell
The hockey metrics agree: Sam Gagner was quietly solid throughout the year. The highlight of his first full year in Detroit was the hat trick against Nashville Predators in February, but other than that flash-in-the-pan, most of Gagner’s contributions to the time were under-the-radar.
Gagner finished the season with a 48.4 CF% and tied for the most points among Red Wings players over 30. While he didn’t light up the scoresheet, Gagner was a great fit for Jeff Blashill’s scheme: defensively sound and occasionally effective offensively. He did all the “little things” right, winning puck battles and making smart, safe passes to drive the offense.
They Said It
“If you look at most of the underlying statistics that we keep, generally, he wins his shifts. His expected goals for when he’s on the ice is better than expected goals against on a consistent basis, night in and night out. Wherever he’s playing in the lineup he’s done an excellent job, both in his play and his example.”
-Jeff Blashill via the Detroit News
Final Grade
Detroit Red Wings. SAM GAGNER. B+. Sam Gagner is not a game changer. On a great team, he’d likely slot in to the fourth line. However, on a rebuilding team in need of depth, Gagner was a great fit. There was not a point in the year where he was a top tier forward on the team, but he was also never bottom tier. Gagner quietly provided that perfect fourth line balance of great defense and competent offense, driving play when needed and shutting down opposing play when needed. In terms of a veteran presence, Gagner is exactly what a team can reasonably expect. Gagner shouldn’t receive a Jakub Vrana-like grade, but of the veterans on the team, he was one of the best.. Forward
Valtteri Filppula
2021 Statline
Games Played: 38
Goals: 6
Assists: 9
+/-: -1
Preseason Projection
Bottom six forward/depth piece
2021 Season in a Nutshell
Valtteri Filppula was another veteran waived during the 2021 season. He played for the first two months of the season, but after a rough stretch of play near the end of February, Filppula became a regular healthy scratch/taxi squad member. In fact, he did not play in one game during the entire month of March, finally returning to the lineup throughout April.
Filppula scored inexplicably often based on his statistics. While he finished the season with a -4.1 corsi percentage, he tied Sam Gagner in points scored and finished in the team’s top ten in points scored. Although he failed to consistently make the everyday lineup, he did find a way to make a late season push in April to improve the stats of his 2021 season.
They Said It
“He’s been a great role model coming back here to Detroit. He carries himself like a great pro. He practices well. He cares a ton. He’s calm under pressure. So he’s just a really, really good model.”
-Jeff Blashll via the Detroit Free Press
Final Grade
D. Filppula’s never really found a solid role on the team. At 37, Filppula wasn’t expected to bring speed or raw talent. Rather, the intention was yet another guiding voice in the locker room. In that sense, Filppula did what he was asked to do. However, despite making $3 million this year, Filppula struggled to make the team without the help of injuries, while other cheaper veterans like Bobby Ryan ($1 million) and Sam Gagner ($850,000) became regulars and contributors. Other older players found a way to live up to or exceed their expectations in Detroit this year. Filppula did not.. Forward. Detroit Red Wings. VALTTERI FILPPULA
More. Which Red Wings were Forgotten or Just plain Unlucky this season?. light