Report: Wings’ Zetterberg feeling the pressure

The offense begins and ends with the 37-year-old veteran, something’s got to give in Detroit.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Report: Wings’ Zetterberg feeling the pressure
Keystone Press

Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg has been through it all in Motown. He was there when the team was at its peak helping them win a Stanley Cup championship in 2008 and he was there when the team was at its worst, finishing outside the playoffs for the first time in 25 years just this past season. The now 37-year-old Zetterberg continues to be a driving force in Detroit, and as Mlive.com and Red Wings insider Ansar Khan explains in his latest article, that could be a problem.

In 82 games in 2016-17, Zetterberg lead the Wings with 51 assists and 68 points. It was also his highest point total since 2011-12, so there’s no sign of the veteran slowing down anytime soon. But, how long can the team continue to rely on Zetterberg before it comes back to really haunt them? Emerging talents like Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou should all take a step forward in 2017-18 after stumbling a bit through 2016-17. Maybe the recently signed Tomas Tatar can step up next season to lighten some of Zetterberg’s offensive load?

Whoever can fill the void in Detroit, better step up sooner rather than later. While Zetterberg has maintained a high level of play late into his 30s, it’s unrealistic for the team to expect it to continue in perpetuity. The truly scary thing for the Wings is, once Zetterberg’s play drops off, the team could sink to a whole other level of mediocrity.

Source: Ansar Khan