Modano to Detroit

[cprice12]

Detroit did regain its depth they lacked from a season ago

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmmstrom
Franzen-Filppula-Bertuzzi
Cleary-Modano-Hudler
Miller-Helm-Eaves

After their first line, they have Franzen...and that's really it...nothing else scares me. Detroit is hardly the offensive powerhouse they were in the past.
Filpula's best year was only 40 pts and that was a couple years ago...he had 35 pts. last year.
Bertuzzi has only been around 40 pts. the past few years.
Cleary's best year was 42 pts....and he had 34 pts. last year.
Hudler? The most goals he has had in a season is 5...and that was in '07-'08.
Modano? He only had 30 pts. last year and his numbers have decreased significantly each of the past three years...and he just turned 40.

If we are saying 40 pts. is the measure of a good depth player, which that seems to be what you are saying, then the Blues and Wings have similar depth because they each have the same number of players from last year's roster who scored over 40 pts. last season, with six players each.

Between 30pts. and 39 pts.? The Blues have 3 players and the Wings have 2 from last season.

Obviously Detroit is a superior offensive club to the Blues right now, primarily because of Zetterburg and Datsyuk. Those two guys run the show and a player or two like that is what the Blues are missing and what Blues fans have been screaming for management to acquire. They are hopeful that Perron, Boyes, Backes, Berglund, etc. crank up the goal total this year, which could happen...but it might not.

I don't think anyone would say that St. Louis has good offensive "depth". So I don't see how you would think Detroit has "good depth". A great first line, yes, but great depth? Meh...I don't think it's anything spectacular or scary like they used to have. But maybe they'll be better than their numbers are trending...hopefully not.

I know no one here gives a shit. lol. I did this more for myself so thank you.

I give a shit. Anytime I have a chance to research Red Wings flaws, I certainly give a shit.

[JPonder94]

Its been a while... seeing what other fans thought about this. I like what Illitch said in the presser:

I don’t want to talk too much, but Cupie, Cupie, Cupie! I do feel it

Detroit did regain its depth they lacked from a season ago

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmmstrom
Franzen-Filppula-Bertuzzi
Cleary-Modano-Hudler
Miller-Helm-Eaves

Draper, Abdelkader

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Stuart-Kronwall
Ericsson-?

Kindl, Meech, Janik

There is talk the Wings are going after Willie Mitchell... that would be phenomenal.

I know no one here gives a shit. lol. I did this more for myself so thank you.

I was just thinking where is that d-bag Hullie at for this conversation?

[Hullie]

CP, you say "after their first line they have Franzen"... then you make the argument the Red Wings are superior offensively to the Blues, but then you say the Red Wings don't have good depth and are comparable to the Blues if you take those two out... well they are part of the depth!

Zetterberg and Datsyuk both had down years last year because of all the injuries... each one ended up with 70pts.

Datsyuk's average over the previous 4 years has been over 90pts.
Zetterberg about 80pts.
Holmstrom scored 25 goals last year in only 68 games.

I don't know where you got your Hudler numbers from, but in 08' 09' he had 57 points... that would have lead the Blues in scoring last year.

Franzen is a beast.
Filppula got those 35pts in only 55 games last year with guys like Drew Miller on his wing.
Modano got his 14 goals in only 59 games on a weak Dallas team.
Bertuzzi and Cleary are plenty capable of putting up 20 goals each.


Every player in Detroit's top 9 has scored at least 20 goals or more in a single season (except Filppula- 19).

Every player on the 4th line had at least 10 goals last year.

[Hullie]

I was just thinking where is that d-bag Hullie at for this conversation?

[ohio BLUES]

Best of luck to Modano. I hope he survives the Blues' napalming of Detroit this year.

[STLADOGG]

Is that 93 goals I'm hearing?

[WaukeeBlues]

I don't know where you got your Hudler numbers from, but in 08' 09' he had 57 points... that would have lead the Blues in scoring last year.

See now that's the kind of crap you can keep to yourself

[cprice12]

CP, you say "after their first line they have Franzen"... then you make the argument the Red Wings are superior offensively to the Blues, but then you say the Red Wings don't have good depth and are comparable to the Blues if you take those two out... well they are part of the depth!

Depth does not include the first line. Depth is the quality of players AFTER your top line.
The depth of the Blues offense and Detroit's offense isn't that different.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk both had down years last year because of all the injuries... each one ended up with 70pts.

Datsyuk played in 80 games last year and Zetterberg played in 74. They didn't miss too many games because of injuries.
Zetterberg had 73 pts. the year before...so he didn't drop off offensively.
Datsyuk was the one who dropped about 20 pts. from his average.

I don't know where you got your Hudler numbers from, but in 08' 09' he had 57 points... that would have lead the Blues in scoring last year.

Yeah, I just figured out that I was looking at Hudler's playoff stats.
I thought that total seemed low, but didn't bother to double check it since it supported my point.

So you're taking Hudler's best offensive year ('08-'09), and comparing his numbers against last season's Blues team?
I call shenanigans.
Using that method of comparison...Brad Boyes had 72 pts. in '08-'09...which would have led Detroit in scoring last season.
Besides, Hudler didn't even play in the NHL last season. One could argue that could hurt him a bit.

Franzen is a beast.

No arguement from me there. But he is also injury prone. In his career he has only averaged about 64 games a season.

Filppula got those 35pts in only 55 games last year with guys like Drew Miller on his wing.
Modano got his 14 goals in only 59 games on a weak Dallas team.
Bertuzzi and Cleary are plenty capable of putting up 20 goals each.

Wow...kool-aid alert!!!
Filppula only had 40 pts. in 80 games '08-'09...which is the most points he has ever scored in a season.
The last time Bertuzzi scored 20 goals was five seasons ago.
The last time Cleary scored 20 goals was three seasons ago...and he barely got there by scoring exactly 20.
Modano may have scored 14 goals in 59 games, but he only scored 15 goals in 80 games the season before...and his point totals have fallen off dramatically each of the last three seasons. Plus he just turned 40...not really an age where players turn their downward spiraling careers around and put up 25+ goals.
Could Modano put up over 20 goals? I guess so. But it's definitely not something I'd count on him doing.

Every player in Detroit's top 9 has scored at least 20 goals or more in a single season (except Filppula- 19).

But how many of those players put up 20 goals last season? Just three. The Blues also had three players with 20+ goals last season.

It doesn't matter if a player put up 30 goals five years ago...that doesn't do much for the current team, especially if that player(s) is getting old and has put up declining numbers over the past few years. That trend is much more telling IMO.

Every player on the 4th line had at least 10 goals last year.

Congrats.

Detroit only scored 4 more goals than the Blues did last year...and the Blues were a piss-poor offensive club last season.
Detroit also only allowed 7 less goals than the Blues.
Not much of a difference if you ask me.

We'll see how it goes this season. The Blues are going to struggle offensively unless Boyes turns things around and Perron has a breakout year.
I expect Detroit to be a little better offensively than they were last year if they don't run into injury problems again, but I don't think they have great depth like they have had in the past...and I am not sold on Howard. He had a nice season last year, but one-hit wonders in net come along all of the time. He needs to back last season up with another solid season before he makes a believer out of me.

It would have been nice if the Blues could have picked up Frolov or Gagne via free agency to add a serious scoring threat(s) to the roster...which they desperately need.