Doing the math on the top 4
After posting my thoughts on Detroit’s defensive corps yesterday Pete over at Yzerman is God took exception with the idea that Brent Sopel might compete for the last open spot on the second defensive pairing:
Whatever the circumstances, I don’t see why the Wings should sign this guy, at least to the big club.
…
But making Sopel the 4th D? He doesn’t make sense
Everyone pretty much agrees Lidstrom, Rafalski and Kronwall are the top 3 defensemen - at least until Kronner gets injured this season. Who’s most likely to fill that #4 spot right now? If the season were to start right now Andreas Lilja probably has the inside track. And while he played well during the playoffs, he’s also a player who was routinely scratched during the regular season. He played 57 regular season games but only missed two due to injury. So you’d hope the Red Wings would try to develop some competition for the spot rather than just hand it to Lilja.
Pete seems to agree up to that point but then suggests Brett Lebda or Derek Meech should be partnered with Kronner.
So, Lidstrom, Kronwall, Rafalski, maybe Lebda (given his speed) … oh yeah, and Meech…sounds like an ideal candidate when it comes to getting quick shots on the move from the blueline. I’m not saying he’ll get lots of time, but if the Wings’ PP is struggling Babcock would be crazy not to insert this guy, even if as basically a PP specialist.
I’m sorry but Lebda was highly ineffective during the playoffs. He showed no ability whatsoever to deal with teams that would cycle the puck down low. He was Ryan Getzlaf’s property whenever he happened to be on the ice during the Western Conference Finals. With Mike Babcock coaching the team he has made it his mandate that the team must be tougher to play against. That’s just not Lebda’s game. Sure, he’s a great skater and he’s a perfect fit as a 6th d-man. But I really don’t see Lebda playing with Kronwall. An undersized defensive pairing like that would likely struggle - in the regular season and especially the playoffs.
Before we put Meech on the 2nd pairing, let’s wait and see if he can actually make the team. He’s coming off a solid season in Grand Rapids, where he was an All Star and was the Griffins’ man of the year. But the Red Wings brass has made it clear he is going to have to make the team as he’s not guaranteed a spot even though he’d have to clear waivers to return to Grand Rapids. So I think it’s a bit premature to think he’s going to step in and take Lilja’s spot.
Now Sopel makes some sense as far as competing for that 4th d-man spot. I’m not saying he’s going to get it, I’m merely arguing he will compete with Lilja and possibly Kindl for that spot. First off, he’s actually a top 4 defenseman. The last time he played close to a full season [80 games in 2003-04] he put up 42 points. That was when he was 26. He put up 37 points the previous season. On a team like Detroit, particularly if he’s on the second power play unit, he has the capability of putting up 40 points. He’s not going to put up 50+ because he’s not going to play on the top PP unit.
But still, 40 points is very solid. Last year Kronwall put up 22 points and Lebda put up 18. Kronner has more upside and will eventually put up 40+ points if he actually plays a full season. Sopel, while playing on a horrid Los Angeles team, played 148 minutes on the power play. The unit scored 10 goals but allowed 1 short-handed goal. Sopel had a hand in 8 of those goals [2 goals, 6 assists]. Lebda, by comparison, played 94 minutes on the power play and while he was on the ice the Wings scored 4 goals but allowed 2 short-handed goals. Lebda tallied 1 goal and no assists. So putting Kronner and Sopel on the 2nd power play unit should make the unit much more effective.
Pete is absolutely correct that the slapshot is more likely to get blocked during the playoffs. The Red Wings adapted by firing the puck off the endboards to generate scoring chances down low. Right now Lidstrom and maybe Mikael Samuelsson are the only point men with a decent slap shot. Sopel would add a third guy and could replace Samuelsson as the point man opposite Kronner on the second power play unit.
brent sopel Brett Lebda Derek Meech Niklas Kronwall Red Wings4 Comments
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I think I could have been clearer about what role I intended for Meech or Lebda - I look at either as the #5/6 d-man, and if Meech were to come in it would be at the expense of Lebda, since they are basically the same player from what I can tell. Lilja would be the #4 guy but not in terms of the PP.
Now I have no problem bringing the guy in, but I’ve just heard a lot about Sopel’s slapper, being a poor-man’s Schneider, making a big impact on the PP. I just think that, it’s not clear he’s that good, and also I just don’t think it makes sense to build your PP around a strategy that will have to be changed in the postseason. The shooting wide thing is good, but it seems like a bit of a gimmick to me and I wonder if teams will adjust to it and figure it out.
Good points on Meech. I just want to a) see him make the squad and then b) see how he looks in Detroit. Then I’ll be more confident as far as developing an opinion on him.
[…] I realize I’m a little late to chime in on this topic. Others have said their piece already and made some great points. See Abel to Yzerman, Gorilla Crouch, and yzerman is god. […]
[…] Lilja, Ference and Sopel’s PK ability might give them the inside track on making the squad The big battle at Red Wings training camp appears to be for the three spots that are up for grabs on the blueline. You can all but pencil Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall and Cheli into the top 5. I’ve made my case for why I think Brent Sopel has a solid chance to claim the #4 d-man spot and there’s even more support for this position when you look at the penalty kill. I think the penalty kill stats are going to give us some insight into how the sixth and seventh d-man spots are going to be filled. […]