San Jose vs Detroit Game Highlights

Hockey News, Highlights and Trade Rumors from around the NHL on Stanley Cup Contenders https://www.stanleycupcontender.com or on Twitter @cupcontender The Red Wings have done this sort of thing in the past, bringing in aging vets to try to push toward the Cup. Sometimes, it has failed, as was the case with hometown hero Mike Modano. Other times, though, it has worked perfectly, like it did with Dallas Drake. The Wings originally drafted Drake in 1989, but only kept him on the Detroit roster for two years. He then spent more than a decade playing around the league in places like Winnipeg and St. Louis. The Wings brought him back for their run at the 2007-2008 Stanley Cup. He only had three goals and three assists that year, but the other players fought for him, and his presence -- and his obvious desire to lift the Cup -- sparked the team to a victory. Will Alfredsson have the same impact this year? If anything, he should have a larger one. He is going to pick up more than three goals and three assists. He was still a star in Ottawa. He was an aging star, of course, but he notched 10 goals and 16 assists in a shortened NHL season. In a full length season, the year before, he picked up 27 goals and 32 assists. With the level of talent around him that he will have in Detroit -- with players like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Nyquist, Franzen and more -- his numbers could climb in either department. He also adds some depth and leadership to the Wings' roster, so, instead of going against first-line defensemen, Alfredsson will likely be going against the second or perhaps the third line.