There are plenty of lightning rods in the Detroit Red Wings’ line-up among the club’s fan base, but perhaps none are as polarizing as right-winger Johan Franzen.
Thursday, as the Wings downed the Winnipeg Jets 4-3, the always-streaky Franzen scored for the fourth time in six games.
The successful formula for Franzen to follow is a simple one, according to his coach.
“When Mule skates he scores,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock. “He’s a guy, him and (Tomas) Tatar, guys like Riley Sheahan, (Tomas) Jurco, (Danny) DeKeyser and (Brendan) Smith, that’s where our growth potential is.
“We need those guys to continue to get better if we’re going to be as good as I think we can.… Unfairly, Franzen’s production has always been paralleled to that of Chicago Blackhawks right-winger Marian Hossa. Both played for the Wings during the 2008-09 season and were slated for unrestricted free agency at season’s end.
The Wings signed Franzen to an 11-year, $43.5-million deal, while Hossa, who’d enjoyed a 40-goal season in his lone campaign as a Wing, was set free July 1 and signed with Chicago, but those who paint this as an either/or scenario are guilty of revisionist history. Franzen was willing to re-up with the Wings at the time and was coming off a playoff in which he’d scored 12 goals and 23 points in 23 post-season games. Hossa, meanwhile, was set to test the open market regardless, so had the Wings not signed Franzen, it was feasible they could lose both players. Since signing that contract, only Pavel Datsyuk (136) has scored more goals for the Wings than Franzen (103), even though Franzen has missed 140 games through injury during that span.
“I can’t really understand people that complain about Mule,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “You look at his season so far, obviously he was out for a little bit (missed six games with a leg injury), that happens to anyone, but when he’s playing he’s showing up, he’s putting points on the board, he works hard, and he’s good defensively.…
For his part, Franzen insists the questioning of his consistency and about whether he’s always giving it 100 per cent on the ice doesn’t faze him one bit.
“When we win I feel good,… Franzen said. "I try to help the team win in some way. It’s nice to put up points but sometimes you get lucky, like my first two assists (this season). One wasn’t me and one hit my ass and all the sudden ‘I started playing great.’ I’m like ‘Yeah, OK. I guess I’m great.’
“We’re playing good, so it’s fun. We’re usually against the top line on the other side so we got to come to play every day. It’s fun to have that challenge too. It kind of keeps you on your toes and keeps you hungry.…
Alfredsson Update
It would appear that right-winger Daniel Alfredsson won’t be playing for the Wings or any other NHL team this season.
While TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that Alfredsson, who will turn 42 Dec. 11, would soon announce he would not be playing this season due to recurring back problems, the Wings insisted they’d been given no official word by Alfredsson, who played for them last season after 17 campaigns as an Ottawa Senator.
In his lone season as a Red Wing, Alfredsson shared the team scoring lead with 49 points.
Alfredsson’s agent J.P. Barry did allow earlier in the week that it was unlikely Alfredsson would be back this season, and with Alfredsson and his family still residing in the Detroit area and the Wings slated to play host to the Senators Monday at Joe Louis Arena, there’s plenty of speculation that a formal announcement regarding Alfredsson’s future could be made that day.
Datsyuk Still Out
Other than returning No. 1 goalie Jimmy Howard to the net, the Wings will go with the same lineup that beat Winnipeg when they conclude their three-game road trip Saturday with a game at the Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That means center Datsyuk will miss his third straight game with a groin ailment.
“He ain’t playing tomorrow,… Babcock said of Datsyuk, who was uncertain of the gameplan going forward with his No. 1 center.
“We’ll just see. It’s more about him feeling right. Once he gets feeling right, and starts skating right, we’ll get him going.…
It’s the third time this season that his groin woes have sidelined Datsyuk, who’s missed 10 games already.
“We don’t want this going on so we want to get it fixed right this time,… Babcock said.
Not His Problem
While there’s plenty of speculation that Babcock could be the next coach of the Leafs when his contract expires at the end of the season, he could care less about the latest soap opera playing out around the team, which beat Tampa Bay Thursday after allowing 15 goals in back-to-back losses to Buffalo and Nashville.
As far as what’s swirling around there that has nothing to do with me,… Babcock said. “I know they’re a team that are right there with us in the standings. There’s nothing to pick between us and them.
“It’s going to be an important game for them and an important game for us.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer