If you didn't know, the Red Wings have been particularly plagued by injuries this season. There have been a lot of the Griffins who have been called up as a result. How have they done? Where does this leave the Wings both at the end of the year and during the coming years. Click the jump and find out.
This article is going to focus on the two players who have received substantial playing time in Detroit, Jurco and Sheahan. Winged Pride has profiled both of these previously, here and here. These two players have done a great job keeping the Wings competitive while they nurse a lot of injuries and attempt to get a full team out there.
Let's talk about Jurco first. Jurco has been a solid player. He is playing on the 2014 version of the kid line. Sheahan Jurco and Tatar have been an extremely strong line. They drive possession and keep play in the offensive zone. He has clearly made a good impression on Babcock throughout his time here evidenced by his inclusion in multiple shootouts. Against the Canadiens Babcock scratched Todd Bertuzzi in favor of sending Jurco(or Sheahan for that matter) back to the Griffins. Jurco has been creating plays in the offensive zone and has been strong in small spaces. He has a little bit of an adjustment period, but he is still playing well enough to earn his playing time.
Winged Pride has been especially high on Sheahan throughout his development and is not surprised by his quick and seamless acclimation into the NHL. Sheahan is a big power forward and he has really shone in his time up with the Red Wings. He has been the best Griffin called up this year outside of Nyquist. Sheahan has lived up to his billing as a strong defensive player as well as impressing in the offensive end. His most common knock is his inability to contribute in the offensive zone. He has 6 points in 11 games and has shown the ability to create plays and finish. Unfortunately, we are working with a small sample size here so these numbers are not all that reliable. But that isn't to discount what Riley has done so far. The skills and abilities that he has shown should make Red Wings extremely excited and comfortable going forward to the end of the year and into the future as well.
Let's talk about Jurco first. Jurco has been a solid player. He is playing on the 2014 version of the kid line. Sheahan Jurco and Tatar have been an extremely strong line. They drive possession and keep play in the offensive zone. He has clearly made a good impression on Babcock throughout his time here evidenced by his inclusion in multiple shootouts. Against the Canadiens Babcock scratched Todd Bertuzzi in favor of sending Jurco(or Sheahan for that matter) back to the Griffins. Jurco has been creating plays in the offensive zone and has been strong in small spaces. He has a little bit of an adjustment period, but he is still playing well enough to earn his playing time.
Winged Pride has been especially high on Sheahan throughout his development and is not surprised by his quick and seamless acclimation into the NHL. Sheahan is a big power forward and he has really shone in his time up with the Red Wings. He has been the best Griffin called up this year outside of Nyquist. Sheahan has lived up to his billing as a strong defensive player as well as impressing in the offensive end. His most common knock is his inability to contribute in the offensive zone. He has 6 points in 11 games and has shown the ability to create plays and finish. Unfortunately, we are working with a small sample size here so these numbers are not all that reliable. But that isn't to discount what Riley has done so far. The skills and abilities that he has shown should make Red Wings extremely excited and comfortable going forward to the end of the year and into the future as well.
This is probably the point where it gets a little mucky. Sheahan is a better player than Andersson. he has more scoring ability and is better defensively.