The only players from the Detroit Red Wings’ most recent Stanley Cup championship team who played in the NHL this season face an uncertain future.
Darren Helm and Valtteri Filppula have played a combined 1,335 games for the Red Wings but might have appeared in their final game for the organization.
Filppula, 37, almost surely won’t be re-signed. It remains to be seen whether Helm, 34, will be offered another contract.
Helm said late in the season that he wants to continue playing. He spent most of the season on an energy line with Luke Glendening and Adam Erne, the club’s most consistent and effective combination.
Glendening, an unrestricted free agent, seems likely to re-sign with the only NHL club he has known. Erne, a restricted free agent who experienced his best season (11 goals, 20 points), likely will be signed to a multi-year deal.
The Red Wings might swap out Helm for a younger player like Givani Smith. He doesn’t possess Helm’s speed or checking ability but brings a different dimension with his physical play and net presence. Smith no longer is waiver-exempt in 2021-22, so he will be on the Red Wings roster.
Helm had three goals and five assists in 47 games and remained a regular in the lineup after it appeared at the start of 2019-20 that his role would be diminished.
“I’ll go back a year ago, Darren sat in my office going into Game 1 and was going to be a healthy scratch,” coach Jeff Blashill said after the season finale. “He took that and listened to it and probably didn’t agree with it and just went to work. There was an injury and he ended up playing. I really never considered healthy scratching him since that time.”
Blashill was effusive in his praise for Helm, a fifth-round pick in 2005 (132nd overall) who made his NHL debut on March 13, 2008.
“Darren’s got incredible work ethic, incredible care level,” Blashill said. “Nobody looks at the information we give our players more than Darren Helm -- pre-scouts, videos, all that stuff. He wants to know everything. He’s an excellent pro. He’s got an unbelievable routine he goes through every game and that’s why he’s had a longevity of success.
“His compete level and work ethic matter. They make him a very effective player and ultimately, he was a big part of that penalty kill at the end of the year that did an excellent job. I think the world of Darren and what his work ethic and compete mean.”
Filppula returned to the Red Wings in 2019, after five seasons with Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and the New York Islanders. He didn’t pan out in his second stint in Detroit, posting a minus-42 rating in 2019-20 and being a healthy scratch in 14 consecutive games from March 2 to April 1. But injuries provided an opportunity over the final five weeks and Filppula took advantage with four goals and 10 points in 17 games.
“Val’s been a real good player in this league and has been a real good Red Wing at different points; the early part of his career he was an excellent Red Wing for a long time,” Blashill said of the club’s third-round pick in 2002 (95th overall). “Val did go a long stretch without playing. That’s not easy, especially when you’re somebody who has played with the longevity that he’s played.
“What he did on a daily basis was come in and work and be a good example to the young players. He didn’t do it for me. He did it for the team and for himself. And he really did play his best hockey at the end of the year.”
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The Link LonkJune 22, 2021 at 05:02PM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/06/long-time-red-wings-darren-helm-valtteri-filppula-face-uncertain-future.html
Long-time Red Wings Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula face uncertain future - MLive.com
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