Welcome back to Last Word on Hockey’s Detroit Red Wings Daily Player Previews. In this series, we will be taking a look at who the team rolled out last season, players they acquired in the offseason, and other prospects to look out for while looking at how they all shape up for the upcoming ’16-17 season. We left off at Thomas Vanek. Today, it’s a familiar face on the roster entering a newly signed deal, Darren Helm.
Darren HELM
Position/Age:
Winger, 29 years old
Contract:
Signed for five years, $3.85 million AAV
2015-16 Statistics:
77 games played
13 goals
26 points
165 shots
32 penalty minutes
51.9% Corsi-for percentage (-0.3 relative)
15:04 TOI
Power Play TOI:
56:12, zero power play points
Penalty Kill TOI:
139:26 (Third on Red Wings among forwards)
Coming off of a career offensive season, Manitoba native Darren Helm was looking to prove himself in a contract campaign. Transitioning to the wing where he was given an elevated top six role with Pavel Datsyuk (15:50 TOI) in addition to playing more than 75 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since ’09-11 translated to modest offensive success (15 goals, 33 points) for the former fifth round pick as he entered his prime in ’14-15. Last season, however, quickly became one to forget. Bouncing from Datsyuk’s line to the bottom six on the left and right wings, he never quite found his stride literally out of the gate, colliding with Jerome Verrier on the first day of training camp. A concussion, combined with a shoulder injury put him out the first four games. You have to wonder if that had anything to do with his offensive output through the first 24 games he played, which amounted to one goal and five points. Still, he logged more than 15 minutes of ice time per night as a mainstay on Tony Granato‘s PK making six short-handed takeaways.
The Red Wings did transition to a new system under Jeff Blashill, but Helm’s drop in possession numbers from ’14-15 to ’15-16 was alarming. On Datsyuk’s wing last year, naturally his Corsi-for percentage was 57.4% but individually he was a +5.3. On the now-KHLer’s wing this past season as Jeff Blashill’s third most consistent trio (5.4%), there was a 5.5% drop overall and -5.0 drop individually while Datsyuk was his godly self (58.3%, +8.1). With #13 gone for good, one has to think if he has a future in the Wings’ top six that looks like it may consist of guys like Henrik Zetterberg, Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader, Vanek, Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Dylan Larkin, or even Riley Sheahan (who knows if Andreas Athanasiou or Anthony Mantha will make the team). Could Helm move back to center?
The former Medicine Hat Tiger did take considerably less face-offs in 2015-16, a number that has been decreasing since 2010-11 from as many as 938 that season to a minuscule 77 this past year. Out of the 415 he took two seasons ago, Helm posted a 53.7% winning percentage, a career high. Zetterberg looks like he is going to transition to the wing this season with General Manager Ken Holland hinting at the plan to move Larkin to the middle. As it stands, Nielsen, Larkin, Sheahan and Luke Glendening are projected to be the team’s middlemen, so it is unclear now where Helm could fit in if the team was going to move him back to his natural position 5-on-5. Sheahan could be a candidate on the wing, moving to the right side at times with Nyquist and Tatar as Blashill’s second most consistent trio (8.64%) while 45.8% face-off winning percentage on 782 draws.
I know there’s an elephant in the room that I hinted at but haven’t touched on fully, and of course, it’s Helm’s new contract. For a guy that was known for his blazing speed and electrifying play in the 2008 and 2009 playoffs, he has failed to materialize into a consistent 15-plus goal scorer in the roles he has been given. Did his cavalcade of injuries between 2012-14 have something to do with that? Probably, but he is best suited as a top-nine center who can provide some offensive help and big support on the penalty kill, not a top six winger expected to contribute a big part of the team’s attack. 2015-16 marked the first time he did not score a single shorthanded goal in a season he played 70+ games in in his NHL career. Could new assistant coach Doug Houda bring a more aggressive style utilizing his legs for more offensive opportunities shorthanded?
Despite his role on the PK, $3.85 million is a big tag to place on a player of his caliber, especially for five (f…ive) more seasons. The move was even more easier to criticize with the signings of Drew Miller and Steve Ott later in the day, giving the team an overflow of forwards. Who knows, maybe he comes to camp healthy and gets off on the right foot out of the gate and has a comeback season. That would be the best-case scenario on a contract full of questions with a team that has another huge set just waiting to be answered.
Tune in tomorrow for Day 5 when we examine hometown all-star rookie Dylan Larkin and his expectations for year two in the NHL.
EXPECTATION:
79 games played
14 goals
31 points
145 shots
30 penalty minutes
52.7% Corsi-for percentage
14:20 TOI
1 shorthanded goal
Main Photo:
