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Red Wings Addict

Filppula is "too nice".

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I just don't see the appeal of trading flip. Hes a homegrown wing, with great defensive responsibilities and puts up good points. I just don't know what you'd expect to get in return that would be better than what flip offers, whether hes having a good season or average season. Hes the kind of playmaker that makes his linemates better, just like dats and Z, but not quite at their level. For his salary, I think it would be foolish to trade him - especially given the red wings success.

The appeal is that he's a valuable asset who could be used to bring back someone who fits the team needs better. I don't want to see him traded (and I doubt he will be, as someone would have to make Kenny a pretty sweet offer), but if we could use him to get Parise (without adding too much more) it would be foolish NOT to.

Though unless he's part of a package to add another star-caliber player, it would be pretty foolish the way he's played so far this year.

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Things were bound to balance out a bit at some point, I mean he's not going to be a 80+ point player... he's still on a great pace and needs only 16 points in about 50 games to break his career high in points.

I see him landing between 55-65 points.

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Filppula getting the message

Babcock has talked constantly over the past few years about Valtteri Filppula’s need to play on the inside and shoot the puck more. The message finally has gotten through.

"I’ve talked a lot to Fil over the years, and some of those conversations, he probably wasn’t very pleased with," Babcock said. "But you kept expecting him to grow and become a dominant player, and he’s been a dominant player for us.

"With Pav (Datsyuk), Z (Henrik Zetterberg), Mule (Johan Franzen) and him, that’s been our top four, for sure. It gives us good balance."

Filppula had 10 goals and 15 assists in 29 games heading into Saturday’s game. He is on pace to surpass his career highs of 19 goals and 40 points.

"He’s such an elite skater," Babcock said. "He plays center or the wing and really helps us. He’s always been good defensively, but you’ve got to score.

"Your big people are the people that consistently have to score. The other people are going to chip in, they’re just not going to do it consistently. Fil’s given us another scorer."

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2011/12/red_wings_equate_recent_succes.html

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Wings' Filppula takes leap forward playing wing with Zetterberg

It's usually a good thing when a young hockey player joining an excellent NHL team has a lot of respect for his teammates.

Sometimes, however, the player can have a little too much of the commodity young people are often accused of lacking, and it's entirely possible this may have been the case with young Finnish forward Valterri Filppula when he joined the star-studded Detroit Red Wings.

With Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk already the established superstar centres on this perennial contender, to say nothing of the likes of Johan Franzen and seven-time Norris trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom on the back end, it was easy enough just to slide onto the team in a third-line, defensive role and watch them carry the team wherever it could go.

But coach Mike Babcock knew Filppula had more to give and he's been trying to mine that out of him for quite a while, using the usual mantra for great skaters who don't have to venture into the really difficult areas of the ice to earn a living. But if they can force themselves to go inside on a rush or through traffic in front of the net, considerable rewards can be reaped. Whether Filppula is able to do this all year or not remains to be seen, but he's certainly on pace to have his best NHL season, and Todd Bertuzzi is convinced it's because of his position change.

"He's a winger," says Bertuzzi. "It's that simple. In our system there is so much defensive responsibility for the centre and when you've been the third-line guy behind those two you have to be thinking defensively first and that's been his mindset. Now he's on the wing, he's got fewer defensive responsibilities... in our zone just having to watch the one D and he's developed great chemistry with Zetterberg. He's got the speed and skill, he can shoot and playing in his old role definitely took away from his offence. What we're seeing here is just the tip of the iceberg if you ask me. I think he's gonna take off."

Filppula isn't so sure mentally about the switch, although he's wildly enthusiastic about playing with Zetterberg. Then again, who wouldn't be?

"Playing with Hank is easy because he's easy to find on the ice and moves the puck so well you just give it to him and he'll find you," says the 27-year-old Finn who looks to be a shoo-in to crack the 20-goal mark, which is something he's had on his mind. "I still think a little bit like a centre in my mind but here you play where they want you and when you're playing with Hank and Huds (Jiri Hudler) it's pretty good."

Babcock has been on Filppula to get to the net more, in part because he knows his great stars are going to show up in the playoffs but it's the performance of others in the top six that is going to put them over the top. You can't win unless you have most guys firing at or somewhere near their best, something the Canucks discovered last spring.

"I've always been on him to go to the inside," says Babcock whenever he's asked, and Filppula seems to be listening.

"It's something I've really tried to be conscious of and work on, particularly playing with Hank and Huds, because both of them shoot a lot and there's a lot of second-chance opportunities from rebounds. Getting some goals like that is nice and I definitely like to score."

Filppula is the first to admit there's something cultural at play here, admitting there's some truth to the stereotype that Russians and Canadians like to score, Swedes and Finns prefer to pass.

"I think there's definitely something there but I like to score and 20 has always been something I've wanted to reach and now that I'm older, more experienced and had a chance to get stronger training over a few summers, that's definitely something I'd like to passed."

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Wings+Filppula+takes+leap+forward+playing+wing+with+Zetterberg/5889428/story.html#ixzz1hCA8AyV8

Edited by Red Wings Addict

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I wish Cleary had some hands because it could've been 1+3 for Flip last night.

Yeah it's weird, the last few games he's still played really well, and he's had some quality scoring chances (1 against Rinne in close, and 2 last night on one shift in the 3rd) but nothing to show for it. Funny how hockey works sometimes.

Ummmm someone gave me a minus for this post? :lol:

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I'm wondering what gcom and Drake have to say about Filppula this year versus what they've said in the past. He's on pace for a 70 point season, like I've always said he's capable of, with no signs of slowing down. And he's been outscoring Franzen too lately, who plays with Datsyuk.

Edited by Z and D for the C

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I'm wondering what gcom and Drake have to say about Filppula this year versus what they've said in the past. He's on pace for a 70 point season, like I've always said he's capable of, with no signs of slowing down. And he's been outscoring Franzen too lately, who plays with Datsyuk.

I'm interested in what you have to say about Hudler.

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Guest Hatethedrake!

I'm interested in what you have to say about Hudler.

I'm very happy to admit I was wrong about Filppula. He has finally showed the consistency in his game that we have all been waiting for all these years. My comments in the past were dead on about Flip. He was inconsistent and underachieving and was not earning his 3 mil a year salary. But now he is one of the best players on the team which is saying something. Keep it up Flip. :thumbup:

As for Hudler, I still can't stand him being a Red Wing. I just tolerate it. We have enough of what he brings. We need more toughness on the wings. Right now Hudler has value. In the playoffs we need some more physical guys who can match up better with teams like San Jose, Vancouver, Chicago, etc. However I have accepted the Hudler will be a Red Wing until his contract runs out. It's like a dog humping a pant leg. May as well just wait until it's over and move on.

Edited by Hatethedrake!

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I'm interested in what you have to say about Hudler.

What does Hudler have anything to do with this? It's funny how you come up with these worthless comments when I say something about Filppula. You're really perturbed that he's been our best forward behind Datsyuk, aren't you? And likely that I was right about him, furthermore.

Edited by Z and D for the C

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Guest Hatethedrake!

How freaking good was Flip tonight? Geez! He looked like a man possessed, he took over in the third period.

G+A and games 1st star.

I'm very happy with Flip's game right now. :thumbup:

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Boylen: Valtteri Filppula steps up on offense for Red Wings

“The next guy they have there who’s going to be like that is (Valtteri) Filppula. He’s getting there; he’s like a young Pav. I don’t think he has the same offensive flair, but he’s young and he’s learning from the right guy.” – NHL scout, 2009.

Valtteri Filppula, now in his sixth full NHL season, has long been regarded as a mini Pavel Datsyuk in the making. Though the young Finn didn’t have the high-end offensive chops possessed by his Russian teammate in the past, the comparison held due to his responsible two-way play.

But something has changed.

Filppula, 27, is suddenly scoring and already only five points off his career-high mark of 40, set in 2008-09. So what does Datsyuk, always the joker, think about his young comrade finally excelling in the scoring department?

“I tell him be quiet, I need the glory. Be quiet.”

Filppula’s ascension as a scorer is the best development the aging Wings could have hoped for this season. For years Detroit has been able to remain a consistent powerhouse because of its ability to regenerate with its young players and to have new stars rise to the fore as the older ones are phased out. The Wings are once again close to a point where rejuvenation is needed and the question has been asked multiple times: Who is capable of stepping into the shoes of Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg?

To be sure, the Wings have a collection of intriguing talents. Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader have been depth-line staples for a couple of seasons now, while 23-year-old Cory Emmerton is off to a good start.

But while those players have clearly been brought up in a Red Wings system that is all about two-way, responsible team play, they are lacking in the scoring department. The offense has to come from somewhere and Filppula is looking like a good bet.

“He has more confidence and he plays well,” Datsyuk said. “Every season he plays well, but sometimes he doesn’t score and without points people don’t realize how good he is. Now he has goals, points, more confidence and everybody can see him.”

Of course, as always, Detroit has more talent waiting in the wings. Gustav Nyquist (drafted 121st overall in ’08) and Tomas Tatar (60th in ’09) are 1-2 in scoring for the American League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, while Riley Sheahan (21st in ’10) is still with Notre Dame and Calle Jarnkrok (51st in ’10) is taking a familiar route developing in Sweden. But with the organization still loaded on the pro roster, and its past penchant to bring along players gradually, who knows when these players will be “Wings-ready” and put in a position to be major contributors on the club.

Playing on a line with Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler, Filppula has been the leading point-getter among the trio (14 goals, 35 points) – and with 14 points in his past 15 games, he’s still trending up.

Whether or not he turns into the second coming of Datsyuk is another story. Surely it’s not fair to hold a player up against a generational talent, but Filppula’s potential to be a leader is there. For a Red Wings team that’s getting closer and closer to needing a new face to step up, Filppula’s season so far is everything they could have hoped for.

In the meantime, Datsyuk’s influence on Filppula can only be a good thing for the Wings. The two are friends off the ice and Filppula helped out at Datsyuk’s kids camp in Russia in the summer of 2010. Even though Filppula didn’t make it out to the camp last summer, No. 13 says the invitation is still open. Though he gives him a hard time about being absent from the last one.

“I still give it to him every day,” Datsyuk said. “I say, ‘Tickets and room I already pay for this. Give me back.’ ”

His newfound production is surely payback enough.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/44061-Boylen-Valtteri-Filppula-steps-up-on-offense-for-Red-Wings.html

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