Franzenstein

Johan "The Mule" Franzen.  
 
Following up my article on "The Tuzzi" I felt it would only be right to talk about a man who is similar in size and intimidation factor.

I'll be blunt, he a has lot to prove this season. He shows so much heart and determination every year when it comes down to crunch time, the playoffs, but throughout the regular season he seems to coast on many nights. It's frustrating only because we know his talent level when he is going full-speed ahead, driving to the net, and getting to the high-scoring areas.
  
Here is a quick look at Franzen's past seasons:

Season    Team                    Lge  GP  G  A Pts PIM

2007-08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 72-27-11-38-51
2008-09 Detroit Red Wings NHL 71-34-25-59-44
2009-10 Detroit Red Wings NHL 27-10-11-21-22
2010-11 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76-28-27-55-58


Injury Prone. We need this guy to break the 80 game mark, if for no other reason than to prove he might be able to last till the year 2020. That sounds like a very long time. Let's all hope for the sake of our Wings he can pull it together and leave his injuries behind.


The problem with Franzen all revolves around injuries. When he plays hard and aggressive he is a force to be reckoned with. When he floats around in both zones hoping for someone to do all the dirty work and set him up he goes on long scoring droughts. Last season he finished the year only scoring 2 goals in 27 games. There were games where you wouldn't even know if he was on the roster. Then you get those outbursts like his 5 goal massacre of the Ottawa Senators last season and you know he has the ability to achieve higher goal totals than he has.


I think he has shied away from the gritty stuff throughout the season in an attempt to stay healthy but it's sort of a catch 22 because that results in him being almost non-existent on most nights. He has the potential to be a 40 goal scorer, there is no doubt in my mind. Can he achieve it?

Prediction:


78 GP
35 G
30 A
65 P


A career year for the homegrown and talented power-forward. He stays relatively healthy, somehow, and picks those corners with  heavy and incredibly accurate wrist shots. Still floats some nights but after getting bumped early (For the Red Wings at least) in the playoffs 2 years straight he is determined to prove his worth.

Thanks Patty Kane.