There was un-called dirty play that occurred on Saturday in a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators. Basically, Jared Cowan stuck his elbow out and caught Pavel Datsyuk right on the chin. The elbow happened right after Datsyuk dished the puck up to the point and was moving past Cowan. It was something that went uncalled but the result is that Datsyuk is due to miss some games. Though the fact that Pavel Datsyuk is out right now with concussion-like symptoms is horrific news for Red Wings fans, but there is some good that can come out of this situation that fans may be overlooking.
First and foremost, Gustav Nyquist gets to play with Henrik Zetterberg on the top line. I will repeat this for the few Wings fan that may have fainted or had their wood give them a concussion: Gustav Nyquist gets to play with Henrik Zetterberg. This is by far the biggest plus of Datsyuk staying home right now and, while Nyquist could have played with Z even with Pavel was still in the lineup, top minutes are TOP minutes. An additional four minutes a game makes a world of difference and this will be really good for his development. The top line minutes can also shine some light on his future with the Wings. Is he capable of playing on the top line or will he fade and just an average forward with some extra skill that gets him 20 goals and 50 points a year? These are the times to look and see. There will be no better opportunity for the young kid to prove himself than now. Yes, his debut was impressive, but the meet and greet does not end after one game. Nyquist has one more year left on his two-year deal at 950k. The interview for a higher paycheck has just begun. It will be fantastic to watch as the kid has definitely brought some jump to the Wings game.
The Wings have been and will probably continue to be deep at the center position. Derren Helm and Joakim Andresson played 16 minutes each last game against Buffalo, some of those minutes being very tough ones. Both Andersson and Helm had more shifts than Henrik Zetterberg and if that is not a telling story of both maturity and performance I am not sure what is. It is always easier to play the young guys when you have the lead, but Detroit has struggled holding those leads and the kids did provide some confidence for future use. It was a different story against the Ottawa Senators, but that game had a lot more to do with penalties.
Besides Andersson and Helm we also see that Tatar is getting a bit more looks. The line of Helm, Abdelkader, and Tatar has had a lot of legs but just seems to not be able to finish. The last two games they registered 12 shots on net and 4 points. It is a work in progress, but there are a lot of good signs. We would prefer to see a bit more of Tatar out there to maybe get his confidence going as he seems a bit edgy with the puck and maybe is just trying too hard. He really wants to find success that he has been accustomed to at the AHL level with the Griffins.
There is also the rest factor that Pavel Datsyuk gets. Yeah, you really rather not find rest via concussion-like symptoms, but the 35-year-old’s body will find solace any way it can get it. The game is fast and, while Pavel does not get hit often, he has taken a few dinks here and there already this season. This will let his core rest up and rebuild itself preventing some silly wear and tear injuries going forward.
Healing and taking a bit of time from the game can provide other benefits too. The mind can require a bit of break from the stress and structure that is an NHL schedule. Travel, video tape, coaches meetings, and the grind of a game no doubt have their downside. I know Pavel is a professional who loves the game and has his own routines to deal with this mundane day to day life. This break is surely welcomed by his mind and body weather he will admit it or not.
The scoring touch of Pavel will be missed, but the good news is that he should be back shortly. While he is gone the Wings get to experience some adversity, lean on some other players to carry the load and prove their worth. The challenges of a long NHL season are always filled with injuries and while Wings are not the same team without Pavel, they are still expected to get a win every single time.
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