Is Zetterberg the next Yzerman?

As a lifelong Wings fan, Yzerman lives in rare air. He was the humble superstar who lifted the Wings out of the Dark Ages. An electric scorer, Yzerman was a regular 100 point man through his 20s. With the introduction of the neutral-zone trap, the NHL became drastically more defensive. Yzerman altered his game to match it, culminating in a Selke Trophy in 2000. But that wasn't his only hardware. The 9-time All-star won the revered Conn Smyth after the Wings won the Cup in 1998.

When he retired in 2006, the Hall of Famer scored a staggering 692 goals, with 1,063 assists.

How does a current player compete with that? From a statistical standpoint, it's not possible. In the post-trap NHL, players simply don't tally 155 points in a season, as Yzerman did in 88-89. The league leader in points this year was Henrik Sedin with 112. For the record, Yzerman finished 3rd in 88-89, trailing Gretzky (168) and Lemieux (199).

Like most sports, it's difficult to compare players of different eras, especially statistically. But when I watch Henrik Zetterberg, I am immediately reminded of Yzerman. Why? Zetterberg scored 70 points this year. That would hardly register on the Yzerman radar. Yet, when the Wings lost unceremoniously last weekend, it was Zetterberg who led the charge in Game 4. Zetterberg tipped in the game winning goal. Then he scored again late in the 3rd. It was his 5th goal in 4 games.

He seems to bring his best when the games matter most. Like Yzerman, he'll calmly challenge his team after a loss but more emphatically lead them by example on the ice. While he's not flashy like Datsyuk, he's perhaps the most effective two-way player in the entire NHL. He singlehandedly shut down Crosby in the Cup Finals last year. Entering the Finals with Detroit, Crosby scored 14 goals, with 14 assists in 17 games. That's an average of 1.64 pts/game. In the seven games against the Wings, Crosby notched 1 goal and 2 assists for 0.43 pts/game.

Those that saw the Finals know all too well - Crosby was not a factor. Zetterberg was the difference-maker and would've earned the Conn Smyth had the Wings pulled out Game 7. Zetterberg already has a Conn Smyth on his mantle for the '08 Cup win, which would've been his second in as many years.

In the playoffs, Yzerman averaged 0.94 pts/game. Zetterberg has averaged 0.93. Zetterberg is not Captain, though my guess is he'll take over the mantle when Lidstrom retires. At that point, the comparisons may begin in earnest. For now, in Detroit, there's still only one Yzerman. Yet, I believe we're at risk of taking Zetterberg for granted. Not many players enter the league as a 7th round pick and win a Conn Smyth, and come damn close to winning a second. He's never gonna score 50 goals, but he may just match Yzerman's career playoff points of 185. And isn't the playoffs what Detroiters truly remember? Z is the real deal, and the Wings are lucky to have him.

Another good writeup on Z at detnews.