Pavel Datsyuk is one of those special players that one always follows throughout the course of the game. His dazzling nature with the puck in both zones of the ice is unparalleled, and he is a major cog next to his “Eurotwin” Henrik Zetterberg in the success of the Detroit Red Wings.
His arrival this season, unfortunately, will be delayed a month or more.
Monday night, a hit from Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi into the rounded corner of the glass near the blueline in the 3rd period left the star unable to finish the game. He will also be out four to five weeks with a separated shoulder. (SIA Profile)
Datsyuk Injury Hurts, but Does Not Clip Red Wings
For Hockeytown, it’s a sense of “here we go again” with the injury bug that just will not end from last season. It is a particular concern with Datsyuk since he has not played a full 82 game season since 07-08. The now 36-year old Russian star has bounced around from 80, to 56, to 70, and, most recently last season, 45 games played. It’s a disappointment considering at the start of camp he was in good spirits and reported to be “100 percent”. As much as the injury hurts and leaves a gaping hole in the Wings’ top six, opportunity has opened for others.
Coming into camp, coach Mike Babcock reported that the Wings would slide center Darren Helm along to Datsyuk’s wing on the top line with presumably Henrik Zetterberg. With Datsyuk absent, this gives Helm the chance to center his own line and use his speed and newly found scoring sense at his natural position. Should he stay healthy Helm would figure to bounce around the 3rd and 4th lines, maybe slide into the top six if Stephen Weiss struggles. When he’s out there, a whole new dynamic is inserted into the lineup. At 27, Helm is entering the prime of his career and showed flashes of a developing scoring element, potting 12 goals in 42 games with 20 points last season. Playing more than half the season would do him and his linemates well in increasing those numbers and changing games.
23-year old Tomas Tatar enters the conversation of expanded roles and time in the top six as well. Finishing just below 40 points and potting 19 goals in his first full NHL season (70 games), Tatar earned a 3-year extension in the offseason and he’s just getting started. With all the injuries the team sustained last season Tatar saw top six time for a good portion of the season, giving him some modest experience in which he relished as the season went on. His ceiling can only elevate, as playing with an established center in Stephen Weiss or perhaps the versatile Henrik Zetterberg could increase his point total even more, as well as his confidence. Playing with Datsyuk in the preseason it was a possibility that he could be #13’s linemate and be in the top six anyway. However, it will be interesting to see how he will handle the opportunity over the course of his second full season. The security he has been offered in his role will help him tremendously in taking that next step towards being one of the more premier young forwards in the league.
This one could be a wild card and will depend on what happens in the preseason.
Finnish phenom. The Holy Slapper. International record breaker. These terms and more have been used in describing the potential that 22-year old Teemu Pulkkinen has. Playing five years in for Jokerit Helsinki, he left results that had not been seen since the days of Jarri Kurri and Teemu Selanne. They both played in the Finnish league, SM-Liiga. When he was 19 he put up 18 goals and 54 points in his first full season at Jokerit. That shattered the rookie record, according to Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings director of player scouting. He came over to Grand Rapids in the 2012-13 season, playing only two games and not getting much ice time. That offseason, he came to camp in the best shape of his life, and it paid off. By the time the 2013-14 season was done Pulkkinen had 31 goals and 59 points, shattering the Griffins rookie record for goals. He earned a call-up to Detroit and played three games, and he could be seeing more time in the Winged Wheel this season. His size, (5’7″) is a legitimate flag in the NHL, but with a shot and scoring sense like Pulkkinen’s, it doesn’t seem like it would be a major hurdle. If Anthony Mantha were still healthy I’d say this one is a stretch, but with Datsyuk and him out an extended period of time, this could open the door for Pulkkinen.
As for those who carry more of a scoring load, Henrik Zetterberg’s predicted linemates, Gustav Nyquist and Johan Franzen, fit the bill. Nyquist showed why he belonged in the NHL last year with his remarkable goal scoring run from January to March and his immediate impact in just 57 games played. Now in the NHL from the start, the 25-year old Nyquist is licking his chops to be a staple on the top line with his countrymen. Johan Franzen, hot and cold as he is, must be ready to be a veteran force in Datsyuk’s absence. He must also stay healthy as well, as he missed 28 games himself last season and had a solid 41 points and 16 goals. His big frame is essential to his success, as well as his commitment. He’s 34 and has not hit 30 goals since 08-09. A healthy, hot Mule to start would be just what the doctor ordered for Detroit as Datsyuk makes his trek back to recovery.
Last but certainly not least, Stephen Weiss’s comeback is vital to the 2nd half of the top six’s success, and it just took on more of a responsibility. Weiss played in 26 games last season and played through a nagging injury that he played through from training camp to sports hernia surgery that shut his season down in November. Feeling no pain this time around, Weiss will look to prove his worth when the Wings signed him in the 2013 offseason. “It’s nice to be back,” he said after skating with teammates for the first time since December. “It’s obviously been a while. I felt pretty good for a first controlled scrimmage in about nine months. I feel healthy, I’ve got no pain. I feel like I’m just going to get better and better, as long as I can stay healthy.”(Detroit Free Press) Healthy and Stephen Weiss in the same sentence this season would be, to say the least, welcoming.
All in all, Pavel Datsyuk is a sizable loss, but the Wings have the capability and personnel to elevate current players’ roles and open ones to players on the rise. If the Wings can limit their injury report in his and Anthony Mantha’s absence, the Wings will stay afloat. It would of course, be preferred to have them both back sooner rather than later.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @gSchroedes16. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Statistics courtesy of HockeyDB
Quotes courtesy of Detroit Free Press
