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Vanek moving on ice, and maybe off ice |
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Thomas Vanek has been around long enough to know that there’s no point fretting over the impending NHL trade deadline.
“It's something I can't control,” left-winger Vanek said over rumors he might be moved by the Detroit Red Wings prior to the Feb. 28 deadline. “I like it here. I hope we can put some wins together and I stay here. But obviously, I understand the business side of it. But if I'm moving, I'm getting pretty good at that, too.”
Signed in the summer by the Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent, Detroit is Vanek’s fifth NHL team. In 2015, he was a deadline deal mover, going from the New York Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens.
That total of stops along the way raised some eyebrows about what kind of excess baggage Vanek might be bringing to Detroit but all he’s brought to the Wings this season is a success story.
Vanek leads the team with 12 goals, and he’s currently riding a six-game point streak, with 5-4-9 numbers through that run of success.
“He’s been a really good fit for us,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s got an unbelievable offensive mind. He comes up with faceoff plays and things like that that I wouldn’t be able to think of. He’s got a really, really high IQ offensively and then he’s got a pretty unique skill set for us. He’s a real big body with real good skill.
“The biggest thing with Thomas for me is he’s a winner and he’s a great person, and you want as many winners and great people around here as you can.”
The question marks that others had attached to Vanek over the years - that he took nights off, that he wasn’t always 100 percent committed to the process - were already answered by his new teammates long before Vanek arrived in Detroit.
“You know players around the league, you know people on different teams and I always heard good stuff about him,” Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “I’ve always liked the way he plays. He’s a creative player, he wants to create stuff all the time. That’s something that we need in this team.
“We have to have guys that want to go outside the box a little bit and are allowed to go outside the box, because the way we play with structure, you need guys to find those plays and he’s really good at it.”
Frans Nielsen, Vanek’s frequent linemate and another newcomer to the Wings this season, figures Vanek was a natural for the way the Wings like to play the game.
“Probably there’s no one on this team with more talent, so he’s going to fit in on most teams,” Nielsen said. “Like I said, he’s got so much talent, he’s such a smart player. He always wants the puck and always gets you the puck if you’re open.
“Especially the way Detroit always played, they want to keep the puck on their sticks, I’m not surprised he fits in that style of hockey they play.”
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