What's The Grind Line? Apart from the once-famous line of Kris Draper, Kirk
Maltby, and either Joe Kocur or Darren McCarty, The Grind Line is also The
Hockey Writers' weekly column about the Detroit Red Wings. Jacob Messing, Tony
 Wolak and Rachel Anderson are the muckers who make up THW's forechecking unit
 and sound off on Red Wings topics.

Over the past three seasons, the Detroit Red Wings have lacked the "advantage"
part of the man-advantage. The team finished 27th and 24th in the last two
years, respectively. It's been a weak point for coach Jeff Blashill, who
overtook the league's second-best power play after the departure of Mike
Babcock following the 2014-15 season.

Blashill is on his third offense and power-play coach after Pat Ferschweiler
and John Torchetti each failed to lift the Red Wings into a threatening
offense. While part of it may be a lack of finishing talent, changes need to be
 made to a team that has fallen in goals-for in each of the last three years,
finishing 28th in that regard last season.

Heading into the 2018-19 season, Dan Bylsma is taking over the offense and
power play. His experience as a head coach, winner, and former Stanley Cup
champion should do the Red Wings well. He'll have plenty of options to run on
the power play, and The Grind Line is ready to give him some deployment
advice.Jacob Messing:

First off, Bylsma's strategy may change up usage, but you'd be hard-pressed to
find a strategy that wouldn't run the most efficient with this five-man group:

Mike Green - right point quarterbackDylan Larkin - half-wall passerAnthony
Mantha - net-front and slotThomas Vanek - left point shooterFilip Zadina -
right side, off-wing shooter

The biggest factor here is whether Zadina makes the team or not. He's a
confident, pure goal scorer and can play on the goalie';s left side, an
opposite to Alex Ovechkin or Patrik Laine. He's highly skilled and hungry to
prove he wrongly slipped in the draft.Zadina was a consensus top-three pick
until he slipped to Detroit at No. 6 in June. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Larkin has shown a playmaking ability, and they could be a fantastic duo for
years to come. Larkin led the Red Wings with 47 assists last season. He's the
natural choice as the top power-play unit center, whether Henrik Zetterberg
returns in 2018-19 or not. He has already shown strong chemistry with Mantha as
 the pair is expected to play together again.

Mantha's 6-foot-4 frame, tenacity, and goal-scoring make him the obvious choice
 as the net-front and slot presence for the Red Wings. His long reach and slick
 hands for his size will help him pick up loose pucks, a large reason he led
the team with nine power-play goals last season.

Green does not really offer the booming slap shot of some of the league's top
power-play defensemen, but he does quarterback the zone well and find the open
man with crisp passes and heads-up play.Green has never been one to wind up and
 let it rip, but his calm demeanor and vision allow him to find open lanes and
team mates (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)

That's where Vanek comes in. He's a power play producer and shines when he's
not expected to play stellar defense. His right shot offers a one-timer for the
 three left-handed forwards and multiple options on the half-wall are what make
 many teams so dangerous on the power play. He has an elusive shot and would
generate a lot of rebounds for Mantha in the crease.Tony Wolak:

Before divulging my ideal power-play unit, I want to share a couple of
conclusions that I came to when considering the personnel:

The power play would be better with a relatively accurate Martin Frk in the
lineup, but with the logjam up front at the moment, he won't see much ice
time.Detroit has quite a few players who could plug into PP1-which is a good
thing-so there should be no excuses if the power play is once again impotent.

With Frk in the lineup, I would want to run a power play similar to the 1-3-1
setup Washington uses to feature Ovechkin's shot and the passing of Nicklas
Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and John Carlson. But without Frk, the Red Wings
should run a different strategy to exploit the strengths of these players:

Green - top of umbrella quarterbackLarkin - half-wall shooter/passer (where Frk
 would be)Mantha - off-wing shooterVanek - net-front and slot shooterHenrik
Zetterberg - goal-line passer

Green is the clear choice to direct traffic and facilitate play from up top.
Having Larkin on his strong-side wing to work up and down the boards gives the
Red Wings a second premier passer to find the open man plus an excellent shot
when an opportunity opens up. Tomas Tatar played this role well in past years -
 Larkin should be even better. These two players would also lead Detroit's zone
 entries, given their speed and vision.

As Detroit's best pure shooter, Mantha should be set up on his off wing to
receive passes from Green, Larkin, and Zetterberg (more on the captain in a
minute). There will be plenty of opportunities for one-timers and for Mantha to
 creep down low while the defense is looking the other way. Top-ranked prospect
 Zadina could also plug in here if the Red Wings prefer to keep Mantha closer
to the net.

Down low, Zetterberg remains Detroit's best playmaker along the boards and
still has excellent vision. He'll work along the goal line (on both sides of
the net) to draw the defense away from the shooters.

Finally, Vanek will be stationed out to screen the goalie and deflect shots
coming in. He'll also work as a bumper in the slot to distribute pucks to
Larkin and Mantha on the half walls. Vanek's net-front presence is an upgrade
over Justin Abdelkader and gives the Red Wings another right-handed shot
capable of one-timers if Zetterberg or Mantha choose to pass from the goalie's
left.Vanek is a gifted offensive player and is best utilized on the power play,
 where he can shoot and pass with equal ease (Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY
Sports)

The goal of setup would be constant motion and crisp passing. Each player has a
 zone that they should stay around, but should move quite a bit within it to
cause chaos for the defense. And if the Red Wings can continually make great
passes around the offensive zone, lanes will open up for quality shots on net.

Of course, Larkin needs to be re-signed, Zetterberg may not return, and Detroit
 still needs to get under the salary cap upper limit. If all of these players
are in the lineup opening night, I'd want these five on the ice when the Red
Wings go up a man.Rachel Anderson:

Mixing the veterans with fresh legs is how I would approach the power play.

Green - right-point quarterbackLarkin - off-wing shooterFrans Nielsen -
half-wall shooter/passerTyler Bertuzzi - left point passerLuke Glendening -
net-front, slot

Combining Green and Bertuzzi on the back end would provide a versatile
offensive/defensive push. I'd put Nielsen, Larkin and Glendening up front.

Green is a proven powerhouse defensively. He has an offensive edge while on
full strength that can only be amplified while on the power play. He's fast and
 efficient with playmaking and can help get the puck in deep.

Pairing Green's vivacity with Bertuzzi's scrappy style on the back end, they'd
enable a first offensive push into the zone. Bertuzzi, though not a defenseman,
 has experience on the power play from Grand Rapids and is controlled enough to
 be trusted in that role.In his short NHL career, Bertuzzi has shown he can do
almost anything and is ready for a bigger role in 2018-19 (Tom Szczerbowski-USA
 TODAY)

Nielsen, Larkin and Glendening would take the front. Nielsen and Glendening
would take the wings and Larkin at center. As with the back end, pairing
Nielson with a few of the younger guys brings a lot more experience to the
front. Nielson is a confident body along the wing who can drive the puck and
create plays.

Glendening is a master at taking the trash at the net. Maintaining the wing and
 in front of the net is where he's found a home. On the power play, though a
play can be made, he can stand by for any stray pucks. Larkin has the speed to
cut through and fill center. Larkin has a precise shot and can drive the center
 lane, opening options for Nielsen and Glendening along the wings.

It's an unlikely first unit, however, a mixture of seasoned players along with
some fresh legs will enable the Wings to create more options in terms of power
play units. Glendening, Nielsen, Larkin, and Green all have several seasons
under their belts of special team experience. The addition of Bertuzzi will
consistently grow his ability when his time of increased responsibility comes.

The post The Grind Line: Red Wings'; Top Power-Play Unit appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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