This site is really a joke sometimes. Over the last season this team has lost:
Marian Hossa
Jiri Hudler
Mikael Samuelsson
and replaced them with Bertuzzi and Eaves.
Bertuzzi played like garbage for 50% of this year, Williams was irrelevant until he got injured. The only true goal scorer outside of Zetterberg, Franzen, has been injured for the majority of the season. And you are all complaining about our play making center not putting up points?
Id hate to break it to you but hes getting very little help. Lidstrom scoring a goal once every 40 games, Rafalski being a ghost offensively, accounts for $14 million dollars. Franzen, Filppula, Cleary and Williams have all spent significant time on the IR.
And still, people complain.. Its truly amazing. Datsyuk isn't Ovechkin or Kovalchuk, he never will be. Hes a PLAY MAKING CENTER, surrounded by 3rd line players.
Where were these topics last season when Zetterberg finished with 70 points on the season? All of the blame falls on Datsyuk's shoulders, who is probably playing better defensively than he ever has, while Lidstrom, Rafalski and Zetterberg get a pass?
On pace for points this season:
Datsyuk: 59
Zetterberg: 65
Lidstrom: 39
Rafalski: 34
Franzen: 24
Filppula: 32
Kronwall: 34
Bertuzzi: 46
Eaves: 22
Williams: 22
------ 377 points
Last season:
Datsyuk: 97
Zetterberg: 73
Lidstrom: 59
Rafalski: 59
Franzen: 59
Filppula: 40
Kronwall: 51
Hossa: 71
Hudler: 57
Samuelsson: 40
------ 606 points
Apparently if Datsyuk was a true superstar, he would be on pace for 300 points to make up for the loss?
This team is dramatically worse than last season and don't even start by comparing them to teams like San Jose, Washington or Pittsburgh. Heatley/Thornton/Marleau/Blake/Boyle/etc, Ovechkin/Backstrom/Green/Semin/etc, and Crosby/Malkin/Gonchar/etc vs Datsyuk/Zetterberg at 50%/IR/IR/IR/IR.
Pavel may be struggling some what but the passes are there. Lidstom and Rafalski aren't capitalizing and hes playing with Todd Bertuzzi, whom nearly everyone of you thought was washed up completely. Datsyuk isn't exactly in good company.
Its safe to say that a Detroit team hasn't experienced THIS much turnover in one off season in 20 years. And id wager to bet that no Wings team in the last 20 years has been this sparse with talent for such a high payroll.
