Throughout the season the Red Wings have struggled due to many injuries, but the return of Johan Franzen just might mark a turning point. The Wings fell in overtime, 4-3, but one can't help but feel that better days are ahead.
Franzen is not the most valuable player on the Red Wings, but his consistency and his extra fuel in the playoffs have always helped this team out. Perhaps the strangest thing about this season for the Red Wings has been their lack of scoring. Franzen can help there. Not only will he put plenty of pucks in the net, but his return also ought to take the pressure off of our struggling Euro Twins- Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
I'm quite surprised to see how many fans have already counted out the Red Wings this year. They have competed this whole time, spending most of the season hovering between the 8 and 9 spots in the Western Conference. Franzen, along with the other returning stars, ought to provide the extra push that they need. Should the Red Wings make the playoffs, they will probably scare a lot of teams.
I'm being serious. The nice blessed surprise of Jimmy Howard has the Red Wings covered in goal. The defensemen are, if anything, better than ever, what with the addition of Jonathan Ericsson. The Red Wings have not allowed many goals this year, and I don't expect that to change.
As for offense, well, ironically that's where the Wings have been struggling this year. They have scored very few goals, especially compared to their recent previous seasons. Well, once Patrick Eaves gets healthy, they should actually be fine. There is no Hossa, Hudler, or Samuelsson, but there is now Eaves, Todd Bertuzzi, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, and Drew Miller. Dan Cleary is healthy, and I have a feeling that Valteri Flippula is ready to start making an impact; that is, an even bigger one than last year.
The Red Wings main challenge will be making the playoffs this year. Once they get in (which I think they will), they should be fine.
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