March off to a great start
If the Red Wings weren’t ready to turn the page following a brutal February, a win in Buffalo on Sunday, combined with the impending return of some injured players, and news on a new contract for one of their key teammates should help put last month in the rearview mirror as they attempt to build some momentum leading up to the playoffs.
Niklas Kronwall has picked up where he left off prior to a stint on the injured reserve list. In his first five periods back on the ice he registered four assists. The pairing of Kronwall with new Red Wing Brad Stuart has provided a huge lift to a beleagured defense. The news gets even better as Brian Rafalski is expected to play tomorrow night and team captain Nicklas Lidstrom is expected to return as soon as this Sunday’s game against the Nashville Predators.
If that wasn’t enough, Ansar Khan is reporting that Dan Cleary is close to signing a new 5-year contract with the Red Wings. While that won’t have much impact on the team this season in and of itself, it can only be seen as yet another positive development for a team that just went through its worst stretch of hockey in close to 20 years.
It may just be coincidence but it seems fitting that Dan Cleary really established himself as an NHL’er at the same time Mike Babcock became the head coach. Cleary plays hockey the way Babcock wants to see his team play, a style of play he refers to as greasy. After disappointing stops in Chicago, Edmonton and Phoenix, Cleary bought what Babcock was selling and he’s grown in a little over one season to become a core member of this Red Wings team. You can point to one play in particular when Cleary made his mark and demonstrated that he had a skill that was badly missing in several of the early-exits from recent playoffs. It was this hit on Dion Phaneuf in the playoff series against Calgary.
There simply weren’t many Red Wings who were leveling these types of ferocious forechecks that led to goals. With Cleary leading the way the team now has a couple forwards who are capable of this type of gritty play.
The next 12 15 games are going to give us a good idea if Detroit can get back to playing the way they did before they were hit hard with injuries. The Ducks have turned things around with the return of Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer. I suspect the Red Wings will have a similar resurgence.
If the Wings rebound they will have the chance to head into the playoffs with another president’s trophy and another Central Division title banner in their collective back pocket. But an even more important prize could be in their possession as the second season kicks into gear: greater depth. That was likely the only thing that kept them from winning the Stanley Cup last season.
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