The third attempt has been a charm for the Detroit Red Wings.
Frans Nielsen, signed last summer to be the second-line center after the disappointments that were Stephen Weiss and Brad Richards, is getting the job done. Nielsen played a key role in the Wings going into the Christmas break on a jolly note, scoring in regulation and shootout Friday at Florida to cement a victory. He also led the Wings with five shots on net that night.
Overall, the 32-year-old Dane leads the team with seven power-play points and two short-handed goals, is second with eight goals (among 18 points) and averages 17:32 minutes per game as he plays in all situations. It's what the Wings were hoping for when he was signed minutes after the free-agent market opened in July for 6 years, $31.5 million.
"He's been what we thought," coach Jeff Blashil said. "He's a competitor, he competes extremely hard. He plays in all different facets of the game. He's very good defensively, very good on the power play. He's been a real good player for us overall."
Mark Howe, the team's director of pro scouting, saw a great deal of Nielsen during his decade with the New York Islanders, and describes Nielsen as the type of player who never takes a night off, who does want his coach asks, who works hard in all areas. He holds himself accountable. Nielsen is often out against top opponents (which plays into why he's at minus-13) and he plays a north-south game.
The line carousel has seen him center a number of players, but lately he has had chemistry with Thomas Vanek, another summer signing who has paid off in spades, and Gustav Nyquist.
Vanek and Nielsen have history, and Vanek is the least surprised at how well Nielsen has jelled. "That's what he brings," Vanek said. "He's an all-around player. Great PKer. With Fransie and Gus, I think we're going in the right direction and got rewarded."
It's a nice turn for a team that is still paying for the disaster that was Stephen Weiss, a signing pushed by former coach Mike Babcock in the summer of 2013 that led to a buyout two years later, and then took a flier on Brad Richards for a year. Neither were ever the positive factor Nielsen has turned out to be.
