Bart Coffey fills the Void
Ansar Khan writes that Brett Lebda stepped up his game yesterday in the absence of Niklas Kronwall and as a result is making a case to play heavier minutes on the blueline:
Lebda began stating his case for an expanded role on Sunday afternoon. Back after missing three games with a concussion, Lebda scored a power-play goal and added an assist as the Wings defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 at Nationwide Arena.
Kronwall is out six-to-eight weeks because of a fractured sacrum (pelvic area). His 21 minutes a game average must be distributed to players such as Lebda and Andreas Lilja, who’s gone from No. 7 defenseman to a playoff regular. Veterans Chris Chelios and Danny Markov are also likely to see an increase in minutes.
The big concern right now is that the Red Wings have to balance out giving their key defensemen some rest prior to the start of the playoffs but still fill out their defensive pairings. Nicklas Lidstrom sat out yesterday’s game and Chris Chelios sat out a game on March 20 against Calgary.
Another reason Lebda fits in quite comfortably in the Detroit lineup is he went undrafted before signing with Detroit. That fits Detroit’s track record of doing well with guys who have been bypassed for much if not all of the draft. DetroitHockey.net has a Brett Lebda page with lots of good content.
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