Steve Yzerman deepened the Red Wings' roster in the offseason for situations just like this: Tyler Bertuzzi will miss the next four to six weeks with an upper-body injury.
The Red Wings announced the news Monday after Bertuzzi left Saturday's win over the Devils after blocking a shot with his hand. Good news is, he'll be able to stay on the ice and maintain his conditioning while he heals.
Still, it's an early blow to the Red Wings who were counting on Bertuzzi to man his usual spot on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond and on the first power play unit. He missed 14 games last season, over which time the Wings went 4-10 -- a 46-point pace. They played at an 80-point pace in 68 games with Bertuzzi in the lineup.
"Obviously a tough loss," Derek Lalonde said Monday. "With (Robby) Fabbri also out, two top-six guys out, arguably two first-liners. But that’s why you have depth. Steve had a very good offseason and I like our lineup tonight despite who’s out, and that’s a credit to more depth than I think Detroit’s had the luxury of in the past."
It's also a blow to Bertuzzi, who's in a contract season ahead of unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. He was aiming to build on his success last season when he scored a career-high 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games, but that will have to wait.
Free agent acquisition Dominik Kubalik will step in for Bertuzzi on the first line Monday night against the Kings; he signed a $5 million deal with Detroit this summer after scoring 62 goals over his first three NHL seasons with the Blackhawks.
With Jakub Vrana also missing Monday night's game due to personal reasons, Filip Zadina will enter the lineup on the second line with Andrew Copp and David Perron, two more free agent additions -- Copp for $28 million, Perron for $9.5 million.
It will mark Zadina's season debut under coach Derek Lalonde, who said he's "been anxious" to get the former sixth overall pick in the lineup. It's a prime opportunity for Zadina, who, as Lalonde said, gets to "slide in with top-six type players. I think it’ll complement his game."
Zadina said Monday he was "a little bit" surprised to be scratched for the first two games, but "now I'm getting the chance, so I just want to take it and do well.
"Just gotta keep the positivity I had in the preseason and bring it to the regular season," he said. "Nothing really changes for me. Just want to be the best player on the ice."
That was rarely the case last season when Zadina scored 10 goals in 74 games, finished minus-24 and was also scratched at one point by former head coach Jeff Blashill. Under Blashill, Zadina faced the same challenge that he faces under Lalonde, one that comes top down from Yzerman: becoming a more complete player. A more dependable player. A more trustworthy player, whether or not the puck's going in the net.
Zadina, who's still just 22 years old, said Lalonde has shown him video of how he's played in the past to pinpoint "little things that I can get out of my game." Little things that lead to bigger problems, like taking needless risks or playing on the wrong side of the puck. Zadina admitted turnovers were an issue for him last season "when I tried to do more than I was supposed to."
Still, Yzerman believes in him. He wouldn't have signed him to a three-year, $5.5 million deal this summer if not. So does Lalonde, who wants Zadina to defend first and let the offense take care of itself.
"Nothing really hard for me to do," Zadina said. "So I’ll just do what he says, what he wants me to do and if that’s going to work, I’ll be doing it. It's pretty easy, as I said, to get (mistakes) out of my game and just focus on the right things and play the right way. I don’t think it’s going to be a big problem for me."
And Bertuzzi's absence shouldn't be too big of a problem for the Wings, if their newfound depth is for real.
"Again, you look at our lineup tonight and that’s still a winnable lineup," said Lalonde. "If they went through two injuries in their top six last year, I don’t know if the lineup would look as strong as it does tonight. Actually looking forward to the challenge with it."
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