Midseason grades

[interminded 1]

Midseason grades for the Red Wings :

Forwards

Dan Cleary:

Last season's breakthrough was no fluke, he's playing even better now. He's developed into a solid player at both ends of the ice, a terrific net-front presence on the power play and a good penalty-killer. Grade: A

Pavel Datsyuk:

As well as he plays with Henrik Zetterberg, Datsyuk seems to take charge more when he's centering his own line. An MVP candidate, he has continued shooting more and has emerged as one of the best defensive forwards in the game, once again leading the league in takeaways. Grade: A

Aaron Downey:

He sticks up for his teammates on the ice and keeps them loose in the dressing room with his upbeat persona. He's not the liability on the ice that a lot of tough guys are. Grade: B+

Dallas Drake:

He hasn't been as physical as he would like, but he'll fight when he has to, despite having to wear a shield much of the season to protect a fractured cheek bone. He kills penalties but would like to chip in a little more offense. Grade: C+

Kris Draper:

He keeps going strong, in his 14th season here. His speed and energy make him a strong forechecker, defender and penalty-killer, he's one of the best in the faceoff circle, he contributes his share of offense, and he sets an example on and off the ice with his work ethic. Grade: B+

Valtteri Filppula:

He's come on strong lately, showing that he can provide enough offense to play regularly on one of the top two lines. Terrific speed and hockey sense, but he needs to shoot more. He's just scratching the surface of his potential. Grade: A-

Johan Franzen:

His versatility enables him to move around from line to line, wing to center, offensive role to defensive role. His size and strength are important for a team that is always trying to be tougher to play against. He's still capable of providing more offense. Grade: B-

Tomas Holmstrom:

He seems to get more savvy around the net with age. He continues to be the best at screening goaltenders, deflecting shots and retrieving pucks. A perfect complement to Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Grade: A

Jiri Hudler:

He's capitalized on more ice time by putting up good numbers (10 goals, 17 assists) on his way to his best season. He has a terrific shot and needs to use it more. Suddenly, his lack of quickness and defensive deficiencies are no longer a concern. Grade: A-

Tomas Kopecky:

He needs to develop more consistency, play hard night in and night out. He can be real physical some games and hardly noticed on other nights. Grade: C+

Kirk Maltby:

Prior to his back injury on Nov. 27, he was showing signs of regaining his physical, disruptive form from previous years. Grade: B

Mikael Samuelsson:

He continues to be a streaky scorer, going long stretches with little offense and then heating up for a few games. He likes to shoot from all over the ice but is more effective when he's involved physically down low. Grade: C+

Henrik Zetterberg:

As long as he stays healthy, he should be an MVP finalist. He's been the league's most dominant two-way player since the middle of last season. He's more authoritative, shooting the puck more than ever, and the club is benefiting. Grade: A

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Defensemen

Chris Chelios:

Three weeks shy of his 46th birthday, he continues to play at a high level. It'll be important to rest him periodically the second half of the season to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Grade: A-

Niklas Kronwall:

He's made big strides from last season. He's improved defensively and is beginning to display his offensive potential. Now he just needs to make it through a full season healthy. Grade: A-

Brett Lebda:

His speed enables him to win races to the puck and take some chances offensively. He's settled in nicely the last two seasons as Chelios' partner on the third pairing. Grade: B+

Nicklas Lidstrom:

Might as well hand him his sixth Norris Trophy right now, because there's a tremendous gap between him and the league's second-best defenseman. He has only four goals, but his production tends to pick up in the second half. Grade: A

Andreas Lilja:

He makes costly turnovers and gets caught pinching on occasion, but he has re-established himself as a top-four defenseman. He's playing more physical, something this skill-based defensive unit needs. Grade: B

Derek Meech:

It can't be easy stepping into a lineup as talented as this when you're a rookie and have been sitting for weeks at a time. A two-week conditioning stint in Grand Rapids will benefit him. He must be ready in case of injury. Grade: Incomplete

Brian Rafalski:

His skating and passing are perfectly suited for a highly skilled team that generates so much offense from its defense's ability to move the puck. He's been an ideal partner for Lidstrom. Grade: A

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Goaltenders

Dominik Hasek:

An early-season slump raised concerns that he might be losing it, but he always seems to need a couple of months to heat up. He won't play as much as he's accustomed to, but he'll still be the starter in the playoffs. Chris Osgood will be pushing him, however. Grade: B

Chris Osgood:

He's shown extreme dedication by reinventing himself toward the end of his career and is playing the best hockey of his life. Having someone of his ability and experience will be a tremendous luxury in the playoffs. Grade: A

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Coach Mike Babcock and assistant coaches Paul MacLean and Todd McLellan:

This staff has the team prepared to play and has instilled an excellent work ethic. Babcock, the leading candidate for the Jack Adams Award as the top coach, has cultivated depth by helping develop the young players and has put players in a position to succeed. Grade: A

I kinda agree with every one of these. It's a great mid-season analysis by (the Wrath of) Khan.

the only one I would change is Kirk Maltby. His current level of play is really not a B. More of a C, IMO.

Opinions ?

[norrisnick 1]

I like Bruce McCleod's grades.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/

He differentiates between the 1st and 2nd quarters and mixes in some oddball stats that only he keeps track of.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

My non-scientific grades up to this point, short and sweet.

Keep in mind this is just one idiotic fan's opinion.

Lilja - C+

Lidstrom - A+

Ellis - B-

Cleary - A

Datsyuk - A+

Meech - B- (probably should be more of an incomplete since he hasn't played much)

Drake - C-

Maltby - B (up to the point until to where he got injured and is still out)

Downey - B

Lebda - C

Chelios - B

Hudler - B+

Rafalski - A+

Osgood - A+

Draper - B+

Samuelsson - C

Hasek - B

Zetterberg - A+

Hartigan - B/Incomplete

Filppula - A-

Kronwall - B

Kopecky - C+

Franzen - B

Holmstrom - A

[omnipotent_hudler 0]

Almost feels like a harsher grading scale should be used for this team, as the standard is so absurdly high this year. Grading scales dont mean much if everyone is basically an "A"

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Kronwall being a A- is a bit much. He started the season very slowly and while he's come on strong lately, I'd have him at a B.

Rafalski shouldn't be an A. He's produced plenty of offence, which was expected, but he's too turnover prone to be anything more than a B+.

Otherwise the rankings weren't too bad. Franzen and Maltby perhaps a tad too high but most of the forward rankings were accurate.

[Opie 308]

I think McCleod's are spot on, that is probably because he had first quarter rankings.

Looking at the season so far as a whole hurts guys like Hasek, Kronwall, but as a whole I thought both were pretty solid rankings.

Just for tee hee's and ha ha's I did my own:

Goalies A-

What a great Tandem!

Hasek: B

That slow start really hurt his ranking, but he has started to shine nicely.

Osgood: A

What can you say about this guy's performance this year!

Defense: B+

Lids: A+

Ralf: A-

He has played well and lived up to expectations.

Kronwall: B-

The start this kid had made me worry a lot about if he was going to be another Max K.

Lebda: B-/C+

Playing with the wiley Vet may help him a lot more down the road but he is just starting to develop.

Lilja: C

I like this guy, not one of those who wants to trade him all the time, but looking for more from him.

Meech:

INC I just haven't seen or read enough about this guy to say.

Cheli:

A Seriously the only reason I didn't give him an A+ is because that would seem like I was saying he is as good as Lids.

Forwards: A-

Cleary: A

This guy is slowly becoming my favorite wing. His play is infectious, he is the poster boy for the Mike Babcock system!!!

Dats: A+

Come on the guy is so good at Offense that nobody really notices how great of a defensive forward he has become.

Zetta: A+

I was looking for what to type here and nothing I typed was descriptive enough!

Homer: A

It is no longer the fact that he plays with D-Z, he has become a great player for this team and before getting hurt looked like he was going to take over, and be a beast in the offensive zone.

Flip: B+

Exceeded my expectations and is on his way to being a top performer, just not there yet, would also like to see him better in the D zone.

Huds: B+

Exceeded my expectations and is on his way to being a top performer, just not there yet, would also like to see him better in the D zone.

Sammy: C+

Needs to become less streaky, and a little more physical, not fighting physical, grind it out physical.

Mule: B-

Underrated player who will play where ever babs puts him.

Draper: B+

This guy is the poster boy for TEAM player!

Maltby: C-

Hard to say how long the back was a problem, hopefully he has a great second half and the back is not and issue.

Drake: C-

The cheek bone has kept him from being what I expected.

Downey: B+

Now before you think I am comparing him to Dats or anyone, this is based off of my expectations, and he has far exceeded them.

Ellis, Hartigan: C

They have filled in nicely, but have not really provided much.

Kopecky: C

Not sure why but I had higher hopes for this guy. He hasn't been horrible, but I was looking for more.

Coaching A+

I am not sure if all of the credit lies with Babcock on this one or if he has a bunch of assistants, if Scotty and Stevie are helping out. I don't really care, if he is getting help from Scotty and Stevie that just shows how smart he is. If he has the team playing this well and this hard night in and night out, than I don't care how he does it. He has a great blend of Vets and Youngsters, he has his top players working hard on both ends of the ice and that is carrying down to the lesser players.

I feel bad for Dave Lewis, he was stuck being the guy after the legend and no one wants to be that guy. Babcock on the other hand came in with a gap between Bowman and him, we(as fans) had witnessed two consecutive playoff failures. He has this team on the verge of great success. Hopefully he can get them over the hump and get the cup. The second half should be a fun one to watch!!

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Flip: B+

Exceeded my expectations and is on his way to being a top performer, just not there yet, would also like to see him better in the D zone.

Really? He's always playing solid 2 way hockey and he's +14 for the season.

[interminded 1]

Rafalski shouldn't be an A. He's produced plenty of offence, which was expected, but he's too turnover prone to be anything more than a B+.

I think he is an A.

Yeah, he had a couple of bad turnovers, but that doesn;t make him PRONE to turnovers..

He's the defenseman Nick Lidstrom needs beside him, to feel confident and perform at the level we are all accustomed to.

[edit: by saying "I think he is an A" , I mean the grade A, not the curse word..]

Edited January 4, 2008 by interminded

[Opie 308]

Really? He's always playing solid 2 way hockey and he's +14 for the season.

+/- on this team is going to be vastly out of skew, this teams goal diff is re-donkulous!!!!

But really my point was that if he got better defensively he would be an A, which would be unbelievable, I think he and Huds are really solid players, but they are just a little step away from being really really special players.

After reading my post I see where it looks like I was saying they don't play D, I just meant that the D part of their games is what is keeping them from being A's.

[Copenhagen848 58]

I don't agree with him giving Hasek a B and Osgood an A, then saying that Hasek will be the starter in the playoffs. Just doesn't make much sense to me. I'm anxious to see what happens come playoff time.

[detroitsportsman05 1]

I posted my grades up on my website. Check them out and let me know what you think on here. Thanks!

Carl

http://www.detroitsports4you.com/redwings.html

[Grittzkey 1]

McCleod's are far more accurate..

Hasek has really picked up his play, and deserves a better grade..

I didnt know that Lebda, is beating Lilja in the giveaway rate? thats scary

[Mickeyisms Rule! 0]

Well I see that many people on here are still being blinded by the fact that Lilja has become the whipping boy for LGW for '07-'08.

The detroitsprots4u site linked above is guilty of it as well. Samuelsson gets a B and Lilja gets a C? As far as expectations from the coaching staff go, the grades should be reversed. They have wanted Lilja to be more steady in back, and he has been. Yes, he has some giveaways that are scary, and sometimes gets himself out of position, but he is responsible defensively over 85% of the time which would be a B in my book.

Samuelsson getting a B for his 4.8% shooting percentage, his 6 goals and 19 assists is a gift. Expectations are that he scores around 20 goals a season. At the halfway mark he has 6. and is on pace for 12. 12/20 = 60%, which would be a D-, but his defensive play has stepped up over last year, so give him 15 points for that. 75% C for Samuelsson.

[Opie 308]

McCleod's are far more accurate..

Hasek has really picked up his play, and deserves a better grade..

I didnt know that Lebda, is beating Lilja in the giveaway rate? thats scary

The thing is though, you have to think about where most of those giveaways take place. Lebda's giveaways, based on his style of play, happen all over the ice, behind his own net, behind the opponents net. Lilja on the other hand most of his turnovers are at center ice or in his own zone. So going purely off of numbers could be a little misleading.

[dallas27 7]

Goaltenders

Dominik Hasek:

An early-season slump raised concerns that he might be losing it, but he always seems to need a couple of months to heat up. He won't play as much as he's accustomed to, but he'll still be the starter in the playoffs. Chris Osgood will be pushing him, however. Grade: C+

Fixed. He played well at New Years but other than that they have never really had to count on him. I said it in the GDT I can't wait for Osgood to get the shaft come playoff time.

Chris Osgood:

He's shown extreme dedication by reinventing himself toward the end of his career and is playing the best hockey of his life. Having someone of his ability and experience will be a tremendous luxury in the playoffs. Grade: A+

Fixed. How do you not give this man an A+? 18-2-1 and leading the league in SV% and GAA. Speaks for itself. He very well could be the best goaltender in hockey right now. It's a shame he's going to see little if no time in the playoffs.

I've tried to reserve judgment on both goalies but every game Ozzie plays he keeps proving that he is at a level Hasek will not be able to get to this year. Ozzie is quicker, more fundamentally sound, challeneges better, makes better decisions, controls his rebounds a ton better. He's simply a better goalie.

Edited January 4, 2008 by dallas27

[stormboy 47]

they seem pretty accurate, if a little generous. i think franzen is moving in the b / b - direction, and i could see him being around a b+ by season's end if he continues to improve, but i don't think he's there yet. kronwall's a- is too generous -- don't get me wrong, i like kronner, and i think that he too is improving as the season goes along, but i'd put him somewhere around a b- right now. lebda and rafalski i think are each a third of a letter grade too high. i expected a bit more out of lebda this season and, despite his solid numbers, rafalski does scare me a little bit with the bone-headed plays from time to time.

[puckbags 863]

The thing is though, you have to think about where most of those giveaways take place. Lebda's giveaways, based on his style of play, happen all over the ice, behind his own net, behind the opponents net. Lilja on the other hand most of his turnovers are at center ice or in his own zone. So going purely off of numbers could be a little misleading.

I totally agree with what your saying about Lebda, we also need to look at the amount of times that Lebs just takes the puck from behind our own net and uses his speed to skate it out of the zone by himself, its a big asset to have breakaway speed like that, especially against teams who are going to try and use the trap against us. The biggest thing I find with Lebda is that there are whole games where you barely notice him out there which for a non offensive d man is a very good thing!! I won't give out grades on everyone but I think our worst forward has been Sammy but as I said in another thread even if Sammy isn't scoring he is a good defensive forward. Lilja has been our worst d man which isnt saying much, they all have been really good as a group and picking the weakest links on this team at this point of the year is a pretty hard thing to do!!

[irishtemper14+25 11]

i like the one from mlive that gives hasek an A then ozzie an A+

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Too generous of a grading list. I wish I had teachers like that in school. What does a player have to do to get a D, shoot the puck into his own net on purpose on more than one occassion?

[up2here 41]

I think he is an A.

Yeah, he had a couple of bad turnovers, but that doesn;t make him PRONE to turnovers..

He's the defenseman Nick Lidstrom needs beside him, to feel confident and perform at the level we are all accustomed to.

[edit: by saying "I think he is an A" , I mean the grade A, not the curse word..]

That would be an A-Hole

[BlakChamber 8]

Too generous of a grading list. I wish I had teachers like that in school. What does a player have to do to get a D, shoot the puck into his own net on purpose on more than one occassion?

What player on the Wings deserves a D then?

[Opie 308]

What player on the Wings deserves a D then?

Uh oh you took the bait hook line and sinker!!

[Winged Scooter 0]

What player on the Wings deserves a D then?

Oh that's easy! The 2008 LGW Whipping Boy is Mikael Samuelsson!!!

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I don't see how MacLeod could give Sammy a B+. His analysis is pretty much spot on, but the grade is too high.

Still, Samuelsson is just ninth on the team in goals scored (six), raking last among forwards who get top-three line minutes.

He's a solid C, at best. He isn't a liability on the ice, but even for a streaky scorer has been a disappointment with only 6 goals (at least one of which was an empty netter).

It's good that he's defensively responsible, but the Wings expect him to pot some goals, and he hasn't.

Edited January 4, 2008 by haroldsnepsts