If you're talking 4th line depth, then put Hordichuk - Smithson - Tootoo back on the 4th, and they were producing like one of the best 4th lines in the league
Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Shanahan
Samuelsson - Lang - Williams
Maltby - Draper - Franzen
Holmstrom - Yzerman - Cleary
Line for line, Detroit is better on offense. The points speak for themselves. Find yourself a number 1 center and I'll give you Kariya - ??? - Sullivan.
I think that the overall sum of the wings’ lines are better than the preds overall when you take into account power play, intangibles, experience, and line chemistry (especially considering all of the Preds' injuries and lack of number one center). But, since you said the points speak for themselves, let's look at pure points.
Zetterberg - Datsyuk – Shanahan: 153 pts
Kariya - Legwand/Fiddler - Erat: 96 pts
Samuelsson - Lang – Williams: 105 pts
Perreault – Sullivan – Walker/Upshall: 105 pts
Holmstrom - Yzerman – Cleary: 57 Pts
Johnson/Beech – Hall – Hartnell: 62 Pts
Maltby - Draper – Franzen: 30 Pts
Nichol/Smithson – Hordichuk – Tootoo/Stevenson: 35 Pts
So, no, sadly the points don’t necessarily speak for themselves outside of the wings’ first line.
Would I take Nichol, Hordichuk, and Tootoo/Stevenson over Maltby and Draper? Of course not. But, in terms of scoring, 2 of the Preds 4 lines outscore the wings’ equivalent lines (in terms of role) and a third is tied.
The Predators lack the Wings’ dominant first line and their dominant Norris-level defenseman, but outside of that the teams aren’t really all that different stylistically in terms of their role players in their current career level.
