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Valtteri Filppula appreciation

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Since this line has been born I have ppl coming up to me (Im a lonely wings fan in these parts lol) saying how this ******* kid is tearing it up out there~the first time they noticed him was at the olympics?~I just thought it says alot when ppl who dont know the wings at all are taking notice of Flip! :thumbup:

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Definitely better than Franzen this series, but I'd still put him 4th.

I mean this series of course. He's not a better player than Franzen, at least not yet. Franzen's had that injury and it's definitely still affecting his game.

I just kinda replied to ZDC who said he was better than Datsyuk this series.

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Flip was amazing in this series. Worked his ass off on both sides of the puck. Since coming back from the Olympics he's been playing an elite level of hockey IMO. Now if we can just get Franzen and Cleary scoring goals were going to be hard to beat.

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All players are over paid in sports, Flip would be near the top of my list of bang for the buck on the wings, with Rafi at the bottom of it and Bert being the top of it.

Spoken like true cheap f*** like myself. Apparently the rest of LGW has money to burn.

What Flip brings is playoff huge - regardless of his goals. The guy is all over the ice.

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I'd like for him to be better. He hasn't been horrible by any means but with the way this series has gone I'd like for him to be better and to be one of the guys that steps it up and gets the series going for the Wings.

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So what do we think these days about the best fit for Filppula in regards to a more appropriate forward position?

Center or wing?

I like that Filppula can concentrate on shooting when he's on Datsyuk's wing. Significant minutes with Pav should help him to shoot more.

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Tough call. He plays his best when he is the one bringing the puck up the middle into the zone, but he does seem to be shooting more and gaining confidence in his shot since he was moved to the wing. His defensive responsibility and faceoff abilities are an asset when he plays center, but having him on Zetterberg or Datsyuk's wing allows for more options, especially since Zetterberg gets chased out of so many draws. Ultimately, he needs to be in the top 6 to stay, and the best way to do that right now seems to be as a winger, unless Babcock decides to reunite Datsyuk and Zetterberg, in which case Filppula ends up centering the second line.

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Hope he's able to not be as injured for next year as well! :thumbup:

Valtteri Filppula wants to be more productive for Red Wings

Detroit -- Of all the Red Wings packing their gear and getting ready to go home, few probably were waiting for the calendar to flip forward to next season as much as Valtteri Filppula.

This was one of those seasons Filppula will largely want to forget.

Filppula was limited to 55 games because of a wrist injury and had 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists). In the playoffs, Filppula had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 12 games.

Overall, the numbers left Filppula unsatisfied.

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"I could do more," said Filppula, who hasn't been able to match the 19 goals he scored in 2007-08. "It wasn't a bad season but there's always room to play better. Hopefully, I'll get a healthy season next year and be better."

Filppula had an opportunity to play for Finland at the World Championships, going on currently, but declined.

Lingering pain in his ribs, an injury suffered in the Phoenix series, made the decision relatively easy.

"It's always an honor to be on the national team, and when you think that way, it wasn't easy (to say no)," Filppula said. "But now is a good time to get everything healthy and start working for next year."

There continues to be nothing wrong with Filppula's defensive game but the Wings continue to wait for him to break into, at least, 20-goal territory.

"The points will come if you play well," said Filppula, who refuses to focus on a particular number of goals or points for next season. "If you do that, it puts too much extra pressure. If you focus on how you play, the points will come.

"I need to do better. I missed part of the season with the wrist injury. I didn't play as many games as last year, but I do need to do better."

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100511/OPINION03/5110341/1128/rss16#ixzz0nazUeknl

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So what do we think these days about the best fit for Filppula in regards to a more appropriate forward position?

Center or wing?

I like that Filppula can concentrate on shooting when he's on Datsyuk's wing. Significant minutes with Pav should help him to shoot more.

I think he can play both well, but can be a gifted center. This next season I would like (given Bert is still here) to see Flip centering The Mule and Big Bert. I think they would be a force, because flip and Bert obviously have some chemistry and Mule and Flip showed last year they do too. The BIG upside to this is that Zetterberg and Dastyuk can be together again, and find that special winger to be with them.(I still think Huds should a chance while resting homer for the PP)

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I think he can play both well, but can be a gifted center. This next season I would like (given Bert is still here) to see Flip centering The Mule and Big Bert. I think they would be a force, because flip and Bert obviously have some chemistry and Mule and Flip showed last year they do too. The BIG upside to this is that Zetterberg and Dastyuk can be together again, and find that special winger to be with them.(I still think Huds should a chance while resting homer for the PP)

That I could get used to.

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If he doesn't have a "breakout" year then as much as I hate to admit, it might be time to consider him as serious trade bait.

dry.gif Consider him traded then if we are going on a "breakout" year. It would shock me (although pleasantly). Just can't see Val blowing up for 50 or 60+ points. Still have to say his strength on the puck at times and unreal puck placement on shots-sometimes-can be fun to watch. Lets just see what happens

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http://video.redwings.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=-7&id=76830

Babcock: "Fil's been great, the other two guys gotta get going"

It's only the pre-season, but Filppula looks so good right now. He oozes confidence with the puck, and is making things happen. This will be his year. 25-30 goals, 75+ points (if he and Franzen stays healthy). Maybe more. Bank on it.

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