What Might have been: Brent Sopel as a Top 4 D-Man
If you followed the Red Wings this summer you know they brought Brent Sopel in for a tryout during training camp. I suggested he might fit in nicely as a top 4 D-man for Detroit.
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.
If you followed Sopel’s brief career with Detroit you know he was lured away by the Chicago Blackhawks who outbid Detroit for his services. Andreas Lilja has obviously filled the #4 D-man slot for most of the season. Let’s see how their seasons compare at this point.
Even-Strength Play
Sopel: 13.92 mins/game, 2.26 goals for - 2.26 goals against = even
Lilja: 14.68 mins/game, 2.47 goals for - 2.16 goals against = +0.31
Penalty Kill
Sopel: 4.29 mins/game, 2.66 goals for - 5.00 goals against = (2.34)
Lilja: 2.65 mins/game, 0.43 goals for - 3.84 goals against = (3.41)
Power Play
Sopel: 1.40 mins/game, 5.09 goals for - 1.02 goals against = +4.07
Lilja: 0.10 mins/game, 0.00 goals for - 0.00 goals against = even
The shock to me is how solid Sopel has been on the PK! He’s been very solid. And he’s not getting nearly as much time on the power play as his stats would warrant, as his +/- per 60 mins with the man advantage is second amongst d-men only to Brent Seabrook. Suffice it to say, Brent Sopel was a top 4 D-man Detroit could have had for nothing other than cap-space. Here is how the pairings could have looked.
Even-Strength
Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Sopel
Chelios-Lilja
Power-Play
Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Sopel
Penalty-Kill
Lidstrom-Chelios
Sopel-Lilja
This isn’t a criticism of Ken Holland, who has done a very good job as the Red Wings general manager; it’s simply an acknowledgement that even an incredibly well-run organization like the Red Wings can miss out on a great opportunity. As the New England Patriots demonstrated last night, no one’s perfect.
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