19 replies to this topic

[irishock]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35?
B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires?
C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure?
D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one.

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL?
B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line?
C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team?
D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters?

Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him?
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33?
C) Is he worth his contract?
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA?
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing

Edited by irishock, 26 December 2012 - 10:53 PM.

[The Axe]

Datsyuk:
He's worth his weight in gold. He will be great until 40 because of his fitness regimen. Next contract = 4 years, 5.5 per.

Zetterberg:
Almost ditto to comments on Datsyuk. He might break down a little sooner, though.

Franzen:

Damn. Just damn.

[dirtydangles]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35?
YES.
B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires?
At least one additional year due to the lockout.
C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure?
No.
D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
3-4 years as a top line option.
E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one.
6-7mill 2 years depending on new cba

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL?
Top 20 for regular season. Top 10 for playoffs
B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line?
I'd like to see Z move to Datsyuk's wing when Jarnkrok makes the transition to the nhl
C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team?
Same level
D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
4 years
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters?
Not if datsyuk's isn't

Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him?
Indifferent. Playoffs make me love him, regular season makes me wish he cared more.
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33?
No.
C) Is he worth his contract?
Not for the last couple years but at this point contracts are even more inflated.
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA?
No. I'd void Bert or Sammy's with the Nyquist, Tatar and Jarnkrok emergence.
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing
Datsyuk with Fil on the other wing - makes up for franzen's laziness.

[wings_fanatic]

I agree with what Axe said regarding Datsyuk and Zetty.

Regarding Franzen... if I could I would construct a time machine to take us back to 2009 and have Holland sign Hossa and let Franzen walk ...

[irishock]

I agree with what Axe said regarding Datsyuk and Zetty.

Regarding Franzen... if I could I would construct a time machine to take us back to 2009 and have Holland sign Hossa and let Franzen walk ...

Franzen would be Chicago bound and he'd torch us with a hat trick every time we play 'em

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35?
B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires?
C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure?
D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one.

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL?
B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line?
C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team?
D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters?

Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him?
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33?
PC) Is he worth his contract?
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA?
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing

Datsyuk:

-I think he's still among the league's best players. However, he is starting to slow down a bit.
-I'm not so sure he'll be back after his contract is up. Wasn't he quoted as saying he wants to play in Russia before he hangs up his skates? I hope he is back, but I'm not overly confident.
-I don't think his injuries are as serious as Yzerman's were.
-He can definitely play at a high level until his current contract is up.

Zetterberg:

-Not top 10 or 20, but he's a top 30 player, primarily because of his defensive prowess.
-I think he'll stay around the same level of play as Captain.
-Unfortunately, he's not gonna be able to play at a high level for another 7 years.
-Tough call on whether his number goes to the rafters. I say no, not because I don't think he's been a great player, but because of the other names up there. Seems only the legends get up there.

Franzen:

-I lean more towards hating him.
-He's too streaky to predict whether he can score 30 again or not.
-It is debatable whether he is worth his contract.
-I'd absolutely void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is in the CBA.

Edited by Bring Back The Bruise Bros, 27 December 2012 - 01:43 AM.

[Seraph]

Zetterberg is already slowing down faster than Datsyuk. There used to be a big discussion on here about which player is better, but that has been put to rest as of late. It'll be interesting to see how the captain role will affect Zetterberg's play. As for putting any of these guys into the rafters, we will most definitely need to string together a couple more cups on these guys' backs. Like mentioned, they haven't reached legend status yet. The main hurdle will be producing good supporting players for them in the next couple years.

As for the mule, he needs to be fed money to perform. Signing him long-term was a mistake because he doesn't have enough raw talent to coast and still be effective. I would void his contract and then re-sign him to 1-2 year deals at roughly the same price, maybe a bit less.

[irishock]

I'm not sure they'd allow a player to re-sign with the same team that amnesties him. But if they came up with a modified contract restructure clause then it would be fine.

Who the F wants to see Franzen floating in 2020?

Edited by irishock, 27 December 2012 - 03:49 AM.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

I'm not sure they'd allow a player to re-sign with the same team that amnesties him. But if they came up with a modified contract restructure clause then it would be fine.

Who the F wants to see Franzen floating in 2020?

I hope he doesn't play through his whole contract.

[LeftWinger]

Datsyuk will retire on top....

Zetterberg will continue his decline in play, but much like Yzerman may retool his game to remain effective in this league...

Franzen was done when he re-signed his contract. Trade him now while his value around the league is still fair. Just get him off this team!

[Kira]

Pasha still has a few tricks up his sleeve. I would like to see him come back for at least two more go-rounds, but he has also said he doesn't want to play til he's 40. I guess it's just a matter of how much we can beg.

Henrik, I don't know. He seems to be slowing down, as you have said. IF he is the new captain, will he be up to the challenge?

Johan, such a wild card. Who knows?

[Adidarw]

Here are last season's stats for Detroit Red Wings: http://redwings.nhl.com/club/stats.htm

From here, we can see the following about Franzen:
- 29 goals (team leader)
- 27 assists (4th)
- 56 points (4th)
- +23 (tied for first)
- team leader in PP goals and game winning goals
- 13.7% shooting percentage (3rd on team)... he has a lot of shots too, but who cares as long as his shooting percentage is 3rd on the team, we can't really say anything

Consistent or not, the facts do not lie. This guy is a beast. He puts up great numbers. I don't care if all his points come in the first and last games of the season and every game in between he gets nothing. He puts up the numbers. Could he put up higher numbers if he was more consistent? Absolutely, he would go down in history as one of the best to play, ever.

I get so confused when people talk trash about Franzen. It's nice to be treated to a game here and there with a hat trick. He has a few hat tricks and even more 2-goal games.

I hope this guy stays with us for much longer. As someone else said in this thread, if he left he'd probably end up with the Blackhawks and score a hat trik against us. I don't want that happening.

EDIT: I'm not saying that scoring goals is all that makes a player good. At the end of the day, the team with more goals wins. The hard numbers at the end of the game are what is going to win a hockey game most of the time. Franzen has 10 game-winning goals. Can you imagine if we did not have Franzen? We would have had 10 fewer wins, at the very least. That is pretty significant.

Edited by Adidarw, 27 December 2012 - 02:03 PM.

[Carman]

Great questions

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35?

Absolutely, his playstyle and instincts will carry him as he strength, and speed decreases with age.

B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires?

Too early to call, I'm hoping he can stick around until we can find that next superstar, but who knows.

C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure?

Unless Datsyuk starts suffering knee/face issues like Yzerman I'd think not, and hopefully the injuries stay away.

D) How much longer can he play at a high level?

He's a special player, I'd expect him to be able to play as high of a level for as long as he wants to. Not saying Datsyuk doesn't enjoy playing here, or hockey, but I feel he's going to leave before his skills diminish.

E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one.

8-9 million, With the way Illitch spends money I'd imagine he would get a raise for being one of the best ticket sellers in the league.

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL?
Easily a top 20 player, maybe even top 10, top 25 in scoring last year, and 9th the year before, and one of the best defensive forwards in the league. People underate Zetterberg in my opinion, when healthy he's absolutely amazing.

B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line?
Tough one, to be honest I don't like cementing players on lines, I feel you need to be able to play with different combinations of players, and depending on the situation I'd prefer seeing Zetterberg as a center of his own line if defending and lead, or playing wing if we are behind.

C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team?
The same level, Zetterberg is as professional as they come, I doubt the letter on his jersey will change his play.

D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
All depends on injuries, but he's never been known for his speed or strength so as long as his skating remains above average I expect him to continue to be one of the best players in the league. He's been able to stay on the ice the last two seasons, hopefully the trend continues.
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters?
Absolutely, he's been consistent, and has won. He deserves it if he plays at a high level the rest of his contract.


Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him?
He is very disappointing, I don't hate him though, he's an important piece of this team, but he is frustrating.
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33?
Yes
C) Is he worth his contract?
Yes
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA?
No
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing
Datsyuk.

Babcock summed Franzen up best in my opinion.

The roller-coaster ride that has been the production end of Johan Franzen’s game is beginning to grate on Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, who believes it’s time that the veteran right-winger became a more consistent presence on the scoresheet.
“He’s like this,” Babcock said of Franzen, who has recorded 6-7-13 totals in his last eight games. “When he feels it, it goes in. To me, he should be one of the best power forwards in the league because of his hands, because of his skating, and he knows how to play. The challenge for him every night is to skate and be physical. If he skates and is physical, the rest looks after itself.
“He’s got one of the best shots in the league, and can wire it like nobody. Mule’s one of those guys that has to decide if he’s going to be a great player in the league, or a good player in the league for a long, long time. If he wants to be a great player, then you have to call on yourself every single night. The great players dig in every night.”

http://kuklaskorner....arting_the_mule

Hearing his own coach call him out on not playing his very best each night is a disappoint for me, but the talent and production is there, and he seems to fit in the lockerroom, so that's why I wouldn't get rid of him. But if I found out that he wasn't getting along with teammates, I wouldn't think twice about releasing him.

[GoWings1905]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35? Yes, definitely. I think his offensive numbers are being held back by his linemates recently. His creativity and defense are still stellar.
B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires? Yes, though I don't feel confident in this.
C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure? Stevie's knee injury was so significant and damaging. Hopefully Pavel doesn't have to endure anything that hampers the end of his career in that fashion.
D) How much longer can he play at a high level? 3-4 years
E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one. 2 years/11 million

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL? I think probably closer to 30. My opinion is that Z's back really affects his offensive output and he's also evolved into more of a setup man centering his own line. His defense is underrated because Pavel is so flashy, but Z is just as solid. Continues to be the best player on the ice for the Red Wings in the playoffs.
B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line? Due to the structure of the roster, Z has to center his own line. Not enough talent in the top-six right now to load up with the two best forwards.
C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team? Same level. Z is a natural leader -- being the captain won't change his play.
D) How much longer can he play at a high level? His back issues scare me. No way he finishes out his contract, but I'm hoping for close to five more years of strong production. His work ethic will help in this regard.
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters? I want to say yes as Z is my favorite player. However, using the Red Wings standards, I'm gonna have to vote no.

Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him? I don't hate Franzen as he is a member of the Red Wings. That being said, "like" wouldn't be the appropriate term either.
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33? 30 is about his threshold and that's only if he stays healthy and appears relatively interested.
C) Is he worth his contract? The length of the contract is the part I despise.
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA? Absolutely not. As much as Franzen frustrates me, where are the Red Wings going to replace his goal-scoring from? This team has lacked a legitimate sniper since Hossa left and Franzen's floating is the closest thing on the team to that.
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing Datsyuk seems like the obvious choice, but the two have just never meshed all that well. Franzen showed more chemistry playing with Z during previous playoff runs. Filppula really clicked with Z last season, so maybe we keep forcing the Franzen/Datsyuk combination.

Edited by GoWings1905, 27 December 2012 - 03:39 PM.

[The Axe]

Here are last season's stats for Detroit Red Wings: http://redwings.nhl.com/club/stats.htm

From here, we can see the following about Franzen:
- 29 goals (team leader)
- 27 assists (4th)
- 56 points (4th)
- +23 (tied for first)
- team leader in PP goals and game winning goals
- 13.7% shooting percentage (3rd on team)... he has a lot of shots too, but who cares as long as his shooting percentage is 3rd on the team, we can't really say anything

Consistent or not, the facts do not lie. This guy is a beast. He puts up great numbers. I don't care if all his points come in the first and last games of the season and every game in between he gets nothing. He puts up the numbers. Could he put up higher numbers if he was more consistent? Absolutely, he would go down in history as one of the best to play, ever.

I get so confused when people talk trash about Franzen. It's nice to be treated to a game here and there with a hat trick. He has a few hat tricks and even more 2-goal games.

I hope this guy stays with us for much longer. As someone else said in this thread, if he left he'd probably end up with the Blackhawks and score a hat trik against us. I don't want that happening.

EDIT: I'm not saying that scoring goals is all that makes a player good. At the end of the day, the team with more goals wins. The hard numbers at the end of the game are what is going to win a hockey game most of the time. Franzen has 10 game-winning goals. Can you imagine if we did not have Franzen? We would have had 10 fewer wins, at the very least. That is pretty significant.

This is a good post. And Franzens playoffs are pretty decent consistently, as well. I think people (myself included) are only disappointed that he isnt a presence on the ice. That would make him more than a mule.

[Echolalia]

Here are last season's stats for Detroit Red Wings: http://redwings.nhl.com/club/stats.htm

From here, we can see the following about Franzen:
- 29 goals (team leader)
- 27 assists (4th)
- 56 points (4th)
- +23 (tied for first)
- team leader in PP goals and game winning goals
- 13.7% shooting percentage (3rd on team)... he has a lot of shots too, but who cares as long as his shooting percentage is 3rd on the team, we can't really say anything

Consistent or not, the facts do not lie. This guy is a beast. He puts up great numbers. I don't care if all his points come in the first and last games of the season and every game in between he gets nothing. He puts up the numbers. Could he put up higher numbers if he was more consistent? Absolutely, he would go down in history as one of the best to play, ever.

I get so confused when people talk trash about Franzen. It's nice to be treated to a game here and there with a hat trick. He has a few hat tricks and even more 2-goal games.

I hope this guy stays with us for much longer. As someone else said in this thread, if he left he'd probably end up with the Blackhawks and score a hat trik against us. I don't want that happening.

EDIT: I'm not saying that scoring goals is all that makes a player good. At the end of the day, the team with more goals wins. The hard numbers at the end of the game are what is going to win a hockey game most of the time. Franzen has 10 game-winning goals. Can you imagine if we did not have Franzen? We would have had 10 fewer wins, at the very least. That is pretty significant.

Personally, I value consistency above overall numbers. Franzen has demonstrated that he has all the tools needed to be one of the most lethal forwards in the game, which many defenses have no answer to. Because of this skill, he has been penciled in as the team's scorer, for better or worse. He isn't a role-player anymore, he is a key cog, and I don't think its realistic for a key cog to only work on random nights. Why should Franzen get a pass for taking the rest of the week off because he scored a hat-trick against some team on Monday night? That's unacceptable to me. Franzen has become an unreliable asset, which unfortunately the Red Wings have invested a great deal in. Yes, Franzen has scored some big goals and he has scored quite a few of them, but when its late in Game 7 and our team is down by one goal, why should we put our trust into Franzen to save us? How will I know that he will use his skill and actually contribute? What if tonight is one of those nights when the cog isn't working?
Just a side note: Franzen may have had 10 game winning goals, but the Wings would only lose those games in which we otherwise would have won by one goal. If the Wings won 5-2 and Franzen got the GWG, we still win without his contribution.

[amato]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35? yes, he's the top player in the league IMHO.

B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires? yes, he loves us and he loves playing here.

C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure? can't really say, injuries are kind of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time a lot of the time but I think he stays in good enough shape to where they don't bother him as much as yzerman.

D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
around 4 more years, maybe more. Pavel's smart enough at hockey that he could adapt his play to continue to play at a high level even if he couldn't skate as fast or shoot as hard. He thinks pass first and that will help him compete at a high level longer.

E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one. 2 years, same amount of money. Might take less if we ask him to, he's a nice guy.

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL? Z has the capability of being a top 10 player again but in the past couple years, I'd say top 20..

B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line? I'd love to see him on datsyuks wing but for the sake of depth I think he should center his own line. Play with datsyuk on the power play for sure though

C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team? better. I think we see Z in the top 10 in scoring again the next full season

D) How much longer can he play at a high level?
4 years maybe but he'll remain an effective player and key part of this team as long as we need him to.

E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters? yes.


Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him? depends on the game.. I have a very love/hate view on mule.

B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33? if he wanted to, franzen could hit 40+ goals, easy.

C) Is he worth his contract? definitely. His contract is a great deal if he can hit 30+ goals a season.. Which he's more than capable of. (His contract is also a little less than what huds is making in Calgary lol :P/> )

D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA? no

E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing datsyuks.

Edited by amato, 28 December 2012 - 01:32 PM.

[Adidarw]

Personally, I value consistency above overall numbers. Franzen has demonstrated that he has all the tools needed to be one of the most lethal forwards in the game, which many defenses have no answer to. Because of this skill, he has been penciled in as the team's scorer, for better or worse. He isn't a role-player anymore, he is a key cog, and I don't think its realistic for a key cog to only work on random nights. Why should Franzen get a pass for taking the rest of the week off because he scored a hat-trick against some team on Monday night? That's unacceptable to me. Franzen has become an unreliable asset, which unfortunately the Red Wings have invested a great deal in. Yes, Franzen has scored some big goals and he has scored quite a few of them, but when its late in Game 7 and our team is down by one goal, why should we put our trust into Franzen to save us? How will I know that he will use his skill and actually contribute? What if tonight is one of those nights when the cog isn't working?
Just a side note: Franzen may have had 10 game winning goals, but the Wings would only lose those games in which we otherwise would have won by one goal. If the Wings won 5-2 and Franzen got the GWG, we still win without his contribution.

I would agree that consistency would be more important than scoring hat tricks here and there.  I just don't think he deserves the trash talk he gets because he is only a "pretty good" player (due to inconsistency) rather than a "GREAT(!)" player.  It frustrates myself as well sometimes that we barely hear his name during some games.  I don't see him as someone that is garbage or deserving to be on every single trade bait list.

[hooon]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35? Absolutely. If not for freak injuries the past two years, he would have been a top point producer and in the awards discussions.
B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires? Yes. The "he said he's leaving!!" thing gets way overblown. It was a vague quote that was taken slightly out of context and made into something it wasn't. All he really said that was that he'd like to play in Russia at the end of his career. I believe that is a few years away at least.
C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure? No. Fortunately they aren't the same kind of injuries. 
D) How much longer can he play at a high level? At least another few seasons. The longevity of players seems to be extended in the modern era, with better training, medicine, therapy, discipline, etc., many of the elite players seem to be able to last longer than in past generations.
E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one. I think he'll sign on one or two year deals from here on out. He will likely make slightly less money, especially if the cap is reduced. Probably around 6mil would be my guess.

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL? Probably not top 10 anymore, but not too far off. Apart from the slow start, he played amazing. 
B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line? Center his own line. Having a 1-2 punch of Datsyuk and Zetterberg down the middle is deadly. Apart from Pittsburgh , probably best high end center depth in the league.
C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team? Better/around the same. 
D) How much longer can he play at a high level? 3 more years at this level, and then a few more where he's at a slightly lower level. I don't see him aging as well as Datsyuk or Lidstrom, however. Just a hunch.
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters? Intriguing thought, considering the lineage of Red Wings captains before him. Too hard for me to say. If he captains the team to a few more cups, then sure!

Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him? I like him. The hatred for him is ridiculous. One of the most valuable players in the league in terms of his production and cap hit. People hate his inconsitency, but that's what he has always been. Even in his best seasons he scored goals in bunches (remember March 08 anyone?).
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33? Yes. 
C) Is he worth his contract? He is worth WELL more than 3.9 million a year, if that's what you mean. Whether or not he will be worth that much towards the end of the contract remains to be seen.
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA? Goodness no.
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing It all depends on the makeup of both lines. He'd be fine on both, I prefer him on Datsyuk's wing with Flip on Z's.

[Nev]

Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old

A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35? Absolutely
B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires?  Possibly not.  He talks a lot about his daughter back in Russia in interviews.  Wings may also be in full-on rebuild mode by then.
C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure?  No
D) How much longer can he play at a high level? 2-3 years, as long as he doesn't have to carry Franzen.
E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one. 2 years, $12M

Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old

A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL?  Probably top 30
B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line?  Probably his own line with a couple of youngsters to do his skating for him
C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team?  Same.  He's always put a lot of pressure on himself.
D) How much longer can he play at a high level? 2-3 years.  I worry about his body.
E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters?  Possibly.  Depends on he and the team do in those years.

Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old
A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him?  Hate him.  The last playoffs were the final straw.  All year we heard "but he always produces in the playoffs" from the Franzen apologists.  Then he failed to produce in the playoffs
B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33? Can he?  Yes.  Will he?  Who knows.
C) Is he worth his contract? Dollars per year, yes.  Length - absolutely not.
D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA?  Depends on how the new CBA rules pan out for injured/retired/bought out players.  Whilst he still has value I'd like to see him traded, but every year that passes his $4M becomes more of an Albatross
E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing  Talk about a Hobsons Choice!  I hate seeing him with Datsyuk, watching Pavel bust his ass every second of every shift whilst Franzen coasts.  And I hate seeing him with Hank, busting his broken-down ass round the ice whilst Franzen coasts.  So the answer is I'd like to see him on the 3rd line until he learns to earn his top-6 minutes.