I’m the host of the eighth installment of the Wings blogger roundtable, a series that kicked off at Winging It In Motown and went on to Snapshots; The Triple Deke; Bingo Bango; Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle; Nightmare on Helm Street and The Production Line before arriving here.* It’ll go on to Babcock’s Death Stare tomorrow, Abel to Yzerman on Wednesday and finish up at Motown Wings on Wednesday.
My question was on the captain (I didn’t break it up very well in the email):
Throughout the year, one topic of discussion among Wings fans was the “off” season Nick Lidstrom was having. Not that he was actually playing badly, but there was a sense he was less playing superhuman than he had been. I remember a feeling from early on that the Norris wouldn’t be his at the end of the year, not because he wasn’t still the best defenseman in the League, but because the drop-off in play was enough to give voters an excuse. He stepped it up in the playoffs and demonstrated incredible toughness in playing through that injury, but the fact that he something of a lesser season and is nearing the big 4-0 has me thinking. Was Nick’s off year a product of his age or the same post-Cup malaise that seemed to affect the rest of the team? Do you see him returning to perfection this season, or will the sight of a mistake on his part become a more common occurrence? If the latter, is the rest of the Wings’ defense ready and able to step in to fill the gap? Where do the Wings go if Nick is finally slowing down?
The answers:
Animal Drew (Nightmare on Helm Street)
The Perfect Human finished third in defensive scoring this year, only behind a glorified 5th forward (Green) and Montreal’s only consistent offensive producer (Markov). If that’s an off year, then I am pleased as punch. His points were down from 2007-2008, but his goals were up…and I find this to be an interesting statistic. Lidstrom is going to play his game. His style of play is what has helped his longevity in this game. He’s hardly physical, but his uncanny ability to read the play coupled with his super-human skill have more than compensated for a lack of physicality or blazing speed. If there’s one certainty we have going into this season, it’s that Lid is going to be Lid, which means we are going to ice the greatest defenseman of his generation. He’s going to pass the same passes and shoot the same shots. He’s going to shut guys down one on one, break up passes, and clear the zone when we need him to. Lidstrom is the foundation that holds this team together and I don’t see that changing at all. Sure, he isn’t as durable as he once was, that is to be expected. But as long as idiots are running him elbows flying or spearing him in the seeds, Lidstrom is going to do what he does best, be perfect.
The question after this season is how much of a discount is he willing to take to stay on for a couple more years. A big pay cut would help the team tremendously in the Free Agent Market and I think he’s classy enough to do it.
Kyle (Babcock’s Death Stare)
Throughout the year, one topic of discussion among Wings fans was the “off” season Nick Lidstrom was having. Not that he was actually playing badly, but there was a sense he was less playing superhuman than he had been. I remember a feeling from early on that the Norris wouldn’t be his at the end of the year, not because he wasn’t still the best defenseman in the League, but because the drop-off in play was enough to give voters an excuse. He stepped it up in the playoffs and demonstrated incredible toughness in playing through that injury, but the fact that he something of a lesser season and is nearing the big 4-0 has me thinking. Was Nick’s off year a product of his age or the same post-Cup malaise that seemed to affect the rest of the team? Do you see him returning to perfection this season, or will the sight of a mistake on his part become a more common occurrence? If the latter, is the rest of the Wings’ defense ready and able to step in to fill the gap? Where do the Wings go if Nick is finally slowing down?
I don’t buy that Lidstrom had an off year. From early on in the season Lidstrom wasn’t seeing his usual excess of minutes because guys like Kronwall and Stuart are in the prime range for a defenseman and they’re more physically able to handle the wear and tear. Lidstrom was quietly doing his thing and because his point total wasn’t where it’s used to being, everyone assumed he was slumping. I think maybe his eye injury had something to do with it, but I can assure you I was never worried that we did not have the best defenseman in the league. Sure, Chara’s pretty good from time to time, but Mike Green can’t defend his way out of a paper bag and there’s no way Lidstrom should have lost the Norris to either. Period. People just got tired of seeing him dominate and the MSM was looking for any excuse to claim he’s on the way down.
Lidstrom plays a very ageless game. He does not hit a lot and he was never an elite skater to begin with. His game is positioning and smarts. Is he as good as he was three or four years ago? I don’t think so. But he’s not a guy that’s ever going to become completely washed up because he does not need incredible shape or quickness to be effective. I agree that he did not consistently play the way we’re used to, but I don’t think he was “off” nearly as much as some will suggest. It was the product of a very slight reduction in minutes, and an overall season long sloppiness on the defensive end. Detroit letting in more goals seems to suggest that the defense is struggling, but I think the goals that Detroit let up were as much the result of sloppy offensive play and inconsistent goaltending as it was the defense. Of the list of things that concern me in Detroit for this coming season, Lidstrom is quite low. He may not play 29 minutes a night, but the minutes he will play will remain virtually flawless.
Jessie (Bingo Bango)
Wow this question is a slap into reality. Back when I heard that Yzerman had officially retired, despite knowing it was coming, panic, despair, and fear immediately set in. Steve Yzerman was a hockey hero in Detroit. The only captain many of us had known. By the end of his career he could barely walk and yet had moments of brilliance on the ice. Watching him slow down and leave was difficult. But honestly, the thought of Lidstrom leaving is sure to cause me to be locked in my room for days sorting my animal crackers by species. Yes I’m not prepared for what inevitably will begin taking place. I think last year’s slow down was a combination of fatigue, age, and the elbow injury. A number of factors caused him to have a handful of “human” moments. Will he experience that again this year? The irrational side of me wants to say absolutely not, he will retire only when he’s 75 and decides he doesn’t want to play against his kids during the NHL season. But the reality is he will continue to show that he is human. However, I would be shocked if he wasn’t nominated for the Norris again. Even with him “slowing down” he will still be one of the top, if not the top, defensemen in the league. I’m biting my tongue and kicking myself while I type this, but when Lidstrom does hang them up, I think we will see Kronwall expand his game. By that point he will have found the perfect medium between being a powerful, physical defensemen, but also utilizing that offensive touch.
Brent and Tyler (The Triple Deke)
Nick was back to his usual self in the playoffs, and his commitment to play through his man berry injury was something that I will tell my dozens of illegitimate grandchildren about. If he can play through that at the highest level at 39 years old, I’m not that worried about him next season. I mean look at how good this guy is: he has his “worst” regular season in however many years — and you could still argue he was snubbed for the Norris? He isn’t human.
Christy (Winging It In Motown)
I do believe we’ll see Nick Lidstrom slow down (albeit slightly) over the next few years. I can’t imagine him maintaining such a high level of perfection until he retires – it wasn’t the case for Yzerman or Chelios or any other great player. I know that his teammates have dubbed him the “perfect human,” but I do think No. 5 has already reached his peak. That being said, I think last year was more of a fluke than the start of a trend downward. It sounds like he had been dealing with a nagging elbow injury and the entire defense had an off year so that’s why I think his poorer play (but still among the tops in the league) was more of a one-time deal.
It will be very important for Lidstrom and the rest of Detroit’s defense to step it up this season to compensate for the drop in offensive production. I believe Lidstrom will have a better season than he did last year, but I don’t think it’ll be an oh-my-gosh turnaround improvement. He’ll still be a top contender for the Norris, which should rightfully return to Lidstrom next summer. If he were to struggle, I would look to the usual suspects to pick up the slack (Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart, and Ericsson).
Kris (Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle)
I think the “off” season was due more to the Cup hangover that seemed to plague the whole team during the regular season and the elbow injury that was nagging Lidstrom than age itself. There’s no doubt that he’s going to slow down as he gets older, but the drop off last season seemed too sudden to be explained by age alone. Because his style of play is centered around good positioning and other more subtle (and overlooked) work, getting older isn’t as much of a handicap for him as it would be for a defenseman who plays a more physical style. While I think it would be unreasonable to expect him to be as dominant as he was in his prime, I don’t see any reason why Lidstrom can’t have several more great years or even reclaim the Norris.
If I’m wrong and he is slowing down, it’s bad news for the Wings. Their defense is good, but there’s really no way to fill Nick Lidstrom’s skates. Even by the standard of his less-than-perfect regular season last year, there isn’t a single defenseman of any age that I would trade Lidstrom for. Kronwall and Stuart form a pretty good second pair, and I have high hopes for Ericsson. Jakub Kindl has a chance to be a difference maker down the road as well. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this because I really don’t have an answer. I’m just hoping that it’s not something we have to face for a while yet.
Michael Petrella (The Production Line)
I think that Lidstrom’s “off year” was more a fabrication of those looking desperately for a chink in his armor, as opposed to an actual drop-off. There’s no question in my mind that he’s still the best defenseman in the game, but I, too, felt like the Norris wouldn’t be his this year because it was such a “cool” thing to do to talk about Nick’s fall from grace.
Let’s be clear – if his “off year” is to be a Norris finalist, score 16 goals and 59 points, and maintain his place in the top ten of the league’s plus/minus leaders… it still a pretty damn good year.
Long story short, I don’t think he fell off. I think it was that Mike Green had a record-breaking year and Chara was captain of a resurgent Bruins squad.
But, like has been mentioned, he’s nearing 40. He won’t play forever. Sadly. As for who “takes over” the defense when he retires, it’s hard to say right now. The logical choice is Rafalski, but he’s not much younger. Kronwall is coming along nicely, but he’s not in the same league as Lidstrom (who is though, right?). The romantic choice might be Ericsson, but is there going to be that much growth in his game that quickly?
But, in the end, we all know that Nick Lidstrom is actually a robot, so there’s no expiration date on his awesomeness. Fingers crossed.
Chris (Motown Wings)
I think it’s less about Lidstrom returning to perfection as it is him being the captain of the defense and playing with an intensity that sets an example for the rest of the blue-liners. Defensive intensity is going to be critical this year, as the Wings probably won’t be as offensively explosive as last season. Lidstrom needs to set the tone with his play, and hope that the rest of the defense picks up the pace and locks down on opposing teams, especially on the penalty kill, a definite sore spot for the squad last year.
Sure, his age may be a factor in his production, but that is inevitable. I think we will see Nick continue to redefine the type of player he is, still defensively sound, but with an eye towards teaching the younger guys the finer points of being a smart, savvy blue-liner. Kronwall could benefit greatly from Lidstrom’s knowledge and example, as could a younger guy like Jakub Kindl, who will eventually get the nod from the big squad.
Bill (Abel to Yzerman)
I believe we’ve seen Nick Lidstrom’s last Norris Trophy and you’re absolutely right that all the voters needed was an excuse. By the end of the year I don’t think anyone would legitimately doubt that Lidstrom was still the best defensman in the league, but we all know the MSM was all bored with his continued excellence.
I believe his “off season” was an absolute reflection of the way the Wings played team defense and on the PK. Malaise is the right word. He’ll rebound this year, just as the whole team will.
If, in fact, Lidstrom is slowing down I’m guessing either Kronwall or Ericsson pick up the slack, or attempt to. This year is the most important one of Lidstrom’s captaincy. This is the season where we’ll determine what kind of leader he is. How he brings some championship intensity back to this team is more important, to me, than what kind of numbers he puts up.
George Malik (Snapshots)
After Lidstrom won his sixth Norris trophy, the media very plainly stated that electing Lidstrom as the Norris-winner every year was “boring,” and as such, it was “time for a change.” From the moment he lifted the Norris, Nick was essentially a lame duck candidate for the 08-09 season as the media started playing up the candidacies of Mike Green and Zdeno Chara, et. al. I stated as much on Ye Olde Blog last July, and it turned out as I’d suspected it would.
If Lidstrom’s slow start sprang from noting more and nothing less than two very difficult injuries and his difficulty to adapt to them.
I think it’s ridiculously easy to overlook the fact that the broken nose Lidstrom suffered in the pre-season both took a lot longer to recover from than he’d anticipated (the break was so high on his nose that he may as well have broken his right eyebrow’s orbital bone) and involved adapting to something he hadn’t worn since the 92-93 season–a visor.
Lidstrom was already dealing with adjusting to new Bauer skates and a Warrior stick after wearing/endorsing Easton equipment for a decade, which is a huge change for someone who relies on his lateral mobility and passing abilities, and when he broke his nose, he experimented with a few visors before settling on the same Itech RBE I visor that Kirk Maltby and Brian Rafalski wear. The RBE (now Bauer as Mission/Itech got bought out last season) isn’t optically correct–it’s a flat piece of plastic with no “bowing” out–and I believe that the visor impeded his vision and caused him to whiff on passes and shots on occasion, especially early on. When you’re a player whose vision and ability to anticipate plays is what sets you apart from the rest of the pack, your play’s going to suffer a bit while you adjust to a lipped Lexan shield every time you glance down at the puck.
The man who tapes the butt end of his stick like a goaltender’s, with a 3/4″ wide “knob” of tape so that he can poke-check pucks away from his opponents using the full extent of his reach, also had to battle his way through a case of right elbow tendinitis so severe that it was eventually revealed that he had exhausted his year’s worth of cortisone shots by the All-Star game, which he missed because he had to stay in Detroit to receive treatment for a tear in his tendon. That elbow didn’t stop aching until a few weeks ago, and he’s admitted that he’ll have to deal with the injury for the rest of his career, which tells you all you need to know about how significantly it affected his play until he found a way to play through it and adjust his techniques to compensate for the pain and lesser strength in the only hand he holds his stick with when he’s not passing or shooting.
Lidstrom had no drop-off in play due to the so-called Stanley Cup hangover (a boogeyman which seems to affect only those who believe in it or put so much pressure on themselves to sustain their playoff levels of performance that they can’t live up to their own expectations), he is not “slowing down,” and those who suggested that he’d lost a step, even before he’d been, ahem, speared in the groin, haven’t noticed that his active stick and that “unparalleled vision” thing compensate for the fact that he’s probably a better skater in terms of lateral mobility and backwards skating than he is in terms of flat-out forward speed. Brian Rafalski is the perfect partner for Lidstrom because he’s simply neither particularly fast nor particularly slow when he’s turning back to chase the rare player who can get past him, so what looked like a lost step simply wasn’t. He never had that step, not when he was 29, never mind 39.
I fully expect Lidstrom to post 60-70 points, as usual, this season, I expect him to have a much better start as he (hopefully) won’t have to make any fundamental adjustments to the way he plays his position, and I fully expect him to continue playing at the level he has over the past ten years for the rest of his career, which is hopefully four or five years from its conclusion.
As to what the Wings do when Nick finally does hang up the skates and retire to Little Sweden, I mean Novi, you’ve got me.
*I was Up North for the weekend and away from the computer and set this up on Friday to go live Monday, so I don’t have the links to the Helm Street and Production Line roundtables.