Wings Nation 2016-17 Player Review: Henrik Zetterberg
By Nick Seguin
6 years ago“Oh captain, my captain”. Though the words were never publicly uttered by any members of the Detroit Red Wings organization, the sentiment behind them was certainly there. In early March, Jeff Blashill told the Detroit Free Press that he believed the Red Wings would make the playoffs because of Henrik Zetterberg. As for the players, they didn’t need to say anything about their captain. All they had to do was watch how he played every night and follow his lead.
Zetterberg had a fantastic season, surpassing his point totals from last year, as he carried the team on his back all season. He was relied on in every possible way. Often, Blashill would put play a rookie with him or even a vet who needed a boost, because Zetterberg makes everyone who plays with him that much better. He played with such heart and determination that he was an inspiration to everyone around him.
Intangibles aside, though, Z had an objectively better-than-good season. Let’s dig into it.
Hero Chart:
Fun fact: This chart was named after Henrik Zetterberg.
Just kidding, but if you had to choose one Hero on this team it would be Z. He was, without a doubt, the Wings best player this season. His scoring and shooting metrics may have him as a middle-6 player, but the meat of his production is in the assist column, where he is clearly in first line territory. Another reason why Zetterberg is such a model player is his hustle on defense. His shot suppression is definitely in first line territory, as his on-ice SF% (51.09%) was second on the team.
Crunching Numbers:
Boxcars:
Z wasn’t far off from his peak seasons in late-2000’s. His 68 points were far and away the best on the team. The next closest was Gustav Nyquist with 48 points. Zetterberg’s always been a pass-first kind of player and he racked up 51 assists this year as Blashill rotated players on his line to give them a boost. Nyquist, Anthony Mantha, and Tomas Tatar all benefited from playing with him at different times throughout the season. His point totals this year far surpassed what anyone expected of him as he tried to carry his team into the playoffs for the 26th consecutive season. Unfortunately, in a team sport like hockey, one player can’t do it all. Zetterberg sure as hell tried, though.
Corsi:
Detroit’s Corsi-For percentage was ranked 24th in the league, so Zetterberg’s 50.74 on-ice CF% is not bad relative to his teammates. It’s second only behind Anthony Mantha, who played the majority of the season with him. Zetterberg’s strong possession boils down to him being one of the smartest players on the ice. His forecheck creates turnovers all the time, which he then uses to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates.
Goal Based:
Zetterberg’s 2.97 GF60 was second only to Nyquist. By the end of the season, he ended up surpassing both Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou in this category. This is pretty telling about the kind of consistency Zetterberg played with all season. While other players would heat up and cool down, Z stayed the same. He also had the fewest on-ice GA60 on the team, further proving the effectiveness of his two-way play and how successful he is with it.
2017-18 Prediction:
For 2017-18, expect Zetterberg to come out strong again. He’ll have a chip on his shoulder about missing the playoffs this year and it will be his mission to get the team into the post-season in the inaugural season at Little Caesar’s Arena. I do think he’ll regress a little bit as more responsibility will be passed on to guys like Dylan Larkin, Athanasiou, and Mantha. Both Nyquist and Tatar will also have to take on some more difficult assignments. Zetterberg will be 37 when the season starts. How much longer can he keep up this play for? It’s time for the team to take some weight off of his shoulders and shift it to other players. Of course, that all depends on if the others can handle it, but with Zetterberg still there with them, he should be able to provide guidance and leadership.
Conclusion
It can’t be understated how good of a season a 36-year-old Zetterberg had on a team that played the way they did . Rationally, I know that the playoff streak had to end this season, but I’m still sad for Z because of how much pride he had in it. He really didn’t want to be the captain that the streak ended under (in the final season at the Joe, no less). But with every ending there’s a new beginning. Zetterberg now gets to lead them team into Little Caesars Arena for an inaugural season that he’s hoping the team can bounce back in.
If anyone deserves it, it’s him.
Grade: A
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