The Detroit Red Wings are dedicated to Frans Nielsen. Signed last season to a six-year, $31.5 million deal as unrestricted free agent, it was apparent from the day the ink dried that the Wings would be on board for the bottoming out of Nielsen’s career as a NHLer.
Who knew he would find the bottom so quickly?
Nielsen, 33, enters Tuesday’s game at Buffalo against the Sabres without a point over the past four games. He shows just two goals on his slate thus far this season, and if you aren’t alarmed by the fact that a center is without an assist nine games into the regular season, then you must be new to the sport of hockey.
“I’ve seen some chances,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said in defense of Nielsen. “I think part of it is one, we’ve gotta earn more power plays. I think if we earn more power plays, he’s gonna have . . . sometimes you get your offense going on the power play a little bit.”
Here’s the flaw in that analysis, and it’s the kind of hole you could drive a rather large truck through, and still leave room for a marching band and perhaps even a locomotive.
In Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, Nielsen skated 5:13 of his 16:16 ice time on the power play, yet still finished the night with a solitary shot on goal.
Nielsen, who was signed to fill the void left when Pavel Datsyuk bolted home to Russia a year early rather than honor his contract with the Red Wings, has already slipped into the third-line center role behind Henrik Zetterberg and Dylan Larkin. And $5.25 million a year is a lot of dough for a third-line center.
“I think he’s gotten a decent amount of chances,” Blashill insisted again. “He’s just gotta keep grinding.”
Frk Off
Nielsen is currently skating between Darren Helm and Martin Frk, and Frk, after a hot start, has also seen his offense go AWOL. Frk scored three times in his first four games but has now gone five games without a point.
“I knew it was going to happen when I had the good start,” Frk said. “I thought, ‘This is way too good. You will have some stretch when you don’t have anything.’
“You just gotta go understand that and still play your game, trying not to change it up. The points will come. Overall, I just want to be good on both sides of the ice and help the team win.”
Blashill thinks he can put a finger on exactly what is ailing Frk’s game.
“Frkie certainly played good early,” Blashill said. “He was real confident early and we’ve got to get his confidence back up to that same level here. He’s a real good player, and he’s just got to make sure he plays at that level.
“I think the challenge with this league when you come in as a young player, you play fearless. And then after you’ve been here a little bit and you make a few mistakes, all of a sudden you play with a little bit of fear. We’ve gotta play fearless. We gotta play smart but we gotta play fearless. You can’t be afraid to make a mistake.
“I would say my answer to why Frkie hasn’t produced as much is that he hasn’t played as fearless as he did in his first three games or so. He’s gotta get back to playing fearless.”
DeKeyser Near
Defenseman Danny DeKeyser (sprained ankle) will miss his seventh successive game Tuesday but it might be his last night on the shelf.
“He’s getting real close,” Blashill said. “He’s not going to play tonight but he’s getting real close.
“I’m hoping to have him on Thursday [at Tampa Bay].”
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