On the Wings

This also was in USATODAY a couple days ago:

News: Steve Rucchin is being heralded as the next great defensive forward after his first-round shutdown of Sergei Fedorov.
Views: I’ve always like Rucchin and have thought that he’s one of the most underrated centers in the league. But let’s face it, folks, as a defensive whiz he’s an imposter. He had the Ducks’ third-worst plus/minus this season, marking his third straight season of declining plus/minus marks. It was a lot easier for Rucchin to post positive plus/minus marks when Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya were racking up those impressive offensive numbers from 1996 to 2001.
His main value now to the Ducks is his ability to win faceoffs. He didn’t so much shut down Fedorov in the first round; he frustrated the Wings with faceoff wins and getting in the neutral zone once in a while. But everyone in the NHL knows Rucchin takes a few nights off during the season. It’s funny how the playoffs so drastically change the makeup of some players’ games.

I’ve said Sergei Fedorov is the Wings most important free agent. He still is, but only if he plays through things like the Rucchin shadow. He did not play through it this year, he instead played with no passion and is one of the biggest reasons the Wings did not advance. Last year, he was one of the biggest reasons the Wings won the Cup. If Segei can find consistency, he’ll be worth that $10 million. As it is right now, giving him that much would be a gamble because he has not shown that he will play 100% the majority of the time throughout his career. He had a good regular season but a terrible playoff, not because of Steve Rucchin but because he did not give the effort needed to succeed. Just like the rest of the Wings. With Yzerman close to retirement, Sergei needs to begin taking up a leadership role on this team, he has the talent and he can be just as good as Forsberg, if he would just play.