Wednesday night provided a possible glimpse into a rivalry that could be renewed for years to come. The Detroit Red Wings move into the Eastern Conference renewed some old rivalries from the glory days of the Original Six.
The elite teams of the east, like Pittsburgh aren’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for the gang from Hockeytown. Even with the injuries Detroit has had to play through this year, their consecutive playoff streak lives on after Wednesday night’s result.
With one of their stars, Pavel Datsyuk returning after a long-term absence, and their captain Henrik Zetterberg set to resume skating activities this week, there is reason to be optimistic in Detroit.
But wait. There was already optimism in the Motor City. Since the start of the season, the revolving door of injured veterans has allowed a wealth of talent to make a home for themselves in the rotation of Mike Babcock’s lineup. The emergence of Gustav Nyquist, the NHL’s leading goal scorer since January 20th has made the ride a little easier while the Red Wings awaited the return of the Eurotwins.
Datsyuk had been out of the lineup since the Olympic break while Zetterberg was sent home from Sochi to have his ailing back re-evaluated. After determining that surgery was the best option for the Wings’ center/left wing, it looked like a lost season for Detroit and their second-year captain. The news of their respective return, and pending return brought about waves of optimism from the faithful, but will it help Detroit’s Stanley Cup chances?
In short the answer is unfortunately no. Let’s be honest here, neither Datsyuk nor Zetterberg are coming back at 100% or any number close to that. The return marks nothing more than a symbol of what the Red Wings could be. It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to shut down both of the aging stars and get ready for next year. The youngsters have come together nicely and respond incredibly well to Babcock. Roll the dice with the (healthy) horses that you have and see how it filters out.
The cornerstones of the franchise are the two slippery veterans who have missed significant time for the first time in their impressive careers. With a good, not great roster (with or without them) headed in to the postseason against deeper and arguably better rosters, what do the Red Wings stand to gain from subjecting their two best players to the rigors and intensity of playoff hockey.
The same argument was made when Datsyuk and Zetterberg came back to the lineup before the Olympics. The pride of representing your country (especially the host country in Datsyuk’s case) seemed to be the biggest salve to the ailing superstars. They were hurting going in to the Sochi games, and aggravated, possibly significantly aggravated injuries that kept them out of the lineup for the bulk of the season. At this point, Detroit is better off letting Zetterberg rest his surgically repaired back for the summer and letting Datsyuk have the surgical procedure on his bum knee, that everyone can see that he needs.
Detroit is beyond the point of needing the “veteran presence” in the locker room and would actually greatly benefit from having the younger, rising stars ride the underdog, “us against the world” wave to see how far it can take them. Lest we forget, this Detroit team managed to stay afloat without their two big guns for the better part of the season.
The playoffs have been secured, the streak is alive, turn the kids loose and lets see what can happen. With an abundance of experience filling in the spaces, Detroit still boasts a dangerous and relatively experienced club.
With the weight of expectations being shouldered by the prohibitive favorites in virtually every other city, Detroit will welcome the opportunity to join the playoff party without their VIP pass. Who knows, maybe they’ll snag some shrimp cocktail and steal someone’s girlfriend before they’re asked to leave. Let the youngsters have their fun while the old men rest their creaky wheels for next year.