Grading the Red Wings - part 2
Yesterday I took a look at the forwards. Today I’ll grade the defensemen and netminders.
Defensemen
Nicklas Lidstrom: A-
The captain isn’t the point producer that Brian Rafalski has become in Detroit, but he’s still very good at keeping the puck out of his net. While Lidstrom is still an excellent defenseman while facing the toughest competition, the team has made an effort to reduce his ice time night in and night out.
But that reduction in ice time hasn’t come at the expense of his time on the specialty teams. Lidstrom leads all d-men in points per 60 mins with the man advantage. And the top PK pairing of Lidstrom and Andreas Lilja have allowed the lowest goals against per 60 mins amongst Detroit’s d-men while typically facing the toughest competition.
Car: BMW 7 series. BMW has coined their cars as being “the ultimate driving machine”. Norris is the ultimate d-man.
Brian Rafalski: C
Rafalski has been a brilliant offensive defenseman in Detroit. He currently leads all defensemen in goals, assists and points. However he’s been on the ice at even strength for the highest number of goals against and is the one d-man playing big minutes who allows over 3 goals per 60 mins at even-strength. So there’s definitely room to improve while playing in his own end.
Rafalski is not a significant contributor on the PK but is a mainstay on the top power play unit alongside Nick Lidstrom. He’s more likely to score the goal while on the power play while Lidstrom generates a higher number of helpers.
Car: VW Touareg. They are small but quick SUVs, just like Rafalski is a small but productive d-man. But SUVs have trouble with tipping and Rafi has struggled playing sound defensive hockey in his own end.
Niklas Kronwall: B-
Kronner is starting to pick up some of the slack that resulted from Lidstrom playing fewer minutes at even strength. As a result he logs the most minutes per night at even strength. There are some good signs - Kronner trails only Rafalski in points generated per 60 minutes - and bad signs - Kronwall only allows fewer goals per 60 mins amongst Detroit’s top 4 d-men than Rafalski.
Kronwall is obviously a mainstay on both of Detroit’s specialty teams units. He’s third in ice time amongst blueliners on the power play and ranks 2nd in points generated per 60 mins. The second PK unit of Kronwall and Stuart has struggled, allowing the most goals against per 60 minutes - and by a large margin. That’s one area where Kronwall will need to continue to improve.
Car: Audi A5. While the Audi is a nameplate that tends to fly under the radar the A5 has started to make a name for itself, much like Kronwall did during last year’s playoffs.
Brad Stuart: C+
Stuart signed with the Wings following a short stay last season that resulted in the franchise’s 11th championship. Stuart played alongside Niklas Kronwall and the two formed a sandpaper second defensive pairing. While Kronwall is more likely to announce his presence with an open-ice hit, Stuart’s work is done mostly along the boards, in scrums, and in front of the net. He leads the team in hits by a large margin.
Coming into the league as an offfensive-defenseman, Stuart has found his niche as more of a defensive defenseman while in Detroit. He’s been on the ice for the fewest goals against at even strength amongst the top 4 defensemen.
Stuart doesn’t contribute much on the power play but is a fixture on the PK. This is the one area where both Stuart and his defensive partner Niklas Kronwall can show the most improvement. They have allowed the highest goals against total per 60 mins while playing short-handed.
Car: Dodge Ram pickup truck. There’s nothing flashy about Stuart and his physical play perfectly compliments a big pickup truck like the Ram.
Andreas Lilja: B
Lilja is the player most likely to join Mikael Samuelsson in the doghouse when it comes to Red Wings fans. Lilja proved his worth when Chris Chelios was lost once again to injuy. Cheli has served as Nick Lidstrom’s defensive partner while short-handed but with him out of he lineup Lilja has capably filled in and done a solid job on the PK. He leads the team in blocked shots. Most of those occur while on the PK. Lilja has also displayed an offensive flair when he tallied two assists in a win against Calgary.
Car: Dodge Sprinter van. It’s big, it’s ugly, but it’s also good at what it’s designed to do.
Brett Lebda: C-
Lebda is up there with Kirk Maltby as one of the guys I routinely criticize. It’s not like I have anything against the guy; it’s just that both guys have very limited, specific roles and if they struggle they get killed when it comes to grading them.
Lebda was removed from the lineup when he had a team-worst plus-minus rating. He was generating no offense which is understandable when you play on the third pairing - but you have to keep the puck out of your own net.
Lebda doesn’t play much on the specialty teams, so if he struggles at even strength he gets a bad grade. The good news is he’s looked better since he rejoined the lineup and is starting to chip in some offense.
Car: Mazda 3. Small, nimble and quick, but not very powerful.
Goaltenders
Chris Osgood: D
Ozzie has benefited from having one of the league’s most potent offenses playing in front of him. His goals against average and save percentage are absolutely pedestrian. He’s only had three games thus far where he’s allowed less than 3 goals.
A team typically needs to average 3 goals per game to win a playoff series. Right now there’s no reason to believe Osgood could hold an opponent beneath that threshold. If we’re lucky and the playoffs follow the regular season and turn into an orgy of goal-scoring then the Wings are as much of a threat as anyone to win the Cup this year. That never happens though. The three goal average almost always ends up being the difference between the team that wins the series and the team that loses the series.
There’s still plenty of time for Osgood to round into shape but it’s clear he’s nowhere near where he needs to be right now.
Car: VW Beetle. The Beetle was a big hit with chicks like Bill Gates back when it was re-introduced in 1998. Ozzie has always been incredibly popular with the puck bunnies.
Ty Conklin: B+
Conklin was the top backup netminder available via free agency and he’s lived up to that billing in Detroit. He has a respectable goal against average [2.41] and save percentage [.918]. Only three of his starts resulted in him allowing 3 or more goals.
Right now Conklin is starting a third of the games for Detroit which is a good rotation. That should help to keep Osgood sharp without overworking him. He’s done a fine job given his role and his lone loss came in a game against the San Jose Sharks.
Car: Honda Accord. The Accord always wins reliability awards and to date Conklin has been safe as houses [not the best analogy given the housing market I guess] for the Red Wings as their backup netminder.
Happy Thanksgiving and Let’s go Red Wings.
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