Scouting the Detroit Red Wings: Valtteri Filppula

August 3, 4:38 PMDetroit Red Wings ExaminerMike Mouat

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Valtteri Filppula

Today's profile: Valtteri Filppula

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 193
Birthdate: March 20, 1984 (25 years old)
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Uniform #: 51
Contract status: Signed through 2012-13
Salary Cap Figure: $3,000,000
Salary in 2009-10: $2,500,000
 

2008-09

Valtteri Filppula set career highs in games played (80), assists (28), points (40), penalty minutes (42) and shots on goal (129) in his third full season with Detroit. He also reached the career milestone of 200 games played on January 17th against the San Jose Sharks and marked the event by scoring one of his 12 goals on the season. Filppula shuttled between the second and third lines in 2008-09 depending on coach Mike Babcock's line combinations, and his role was different from night-to-night. He had stretches of 18, 16, and 13 games without a goal, but did show signs of being able to pivot a second line in March scoring five goals in a nine game span and he scored 24 points in the final 40 games.

Perhaps more than any other Red Wing, Filppula's play in 2009-10 will determine how much flexibility the Red Wings have in terms of line combinations. Should he play like he did in the second half of last season, and produce like a second line center then the Wings can reunite Henrik Zetterberg on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom. Filppula would pivot a second line with Johan Franzen and either Dan Cleary, Ville Leino or a free agent acquisition. Babcock would then have the luxury and flexibility to break up Zetterberg and Datsyuk and create three lines of offense when needed. If Filppula plays like he did in the first half of the season, Babcock would be forced to split up his top two players in order to generate offense from two lines. Filppula is a creative player with the potential to center a second scoring unit, he simply needs to elevate his confidence to match his ability.

Throughout the summer I will be profiling the 2009-10 Detroit Red Wings players in comprehensive scouting reports.

Be sure to check out the slide show for some action shots of Filppula from last season. 

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• Dan Cleary  Pavel Datsyuk  Kris Draper  Patrick Eaves  Jonathan Ericsson  Valtteri Filppula  Johan Franzen  Darren Helm  Tomas Holmstrom  Niklas Kronwall   Brett Lebda   Ville Leino  Nicklas Lidstrom  Andreas Lilja  Kirk Maltby  Derek Meech  Chris Osgood  Brian Rafalski  Brad Stuart  Jason Williams  Henrik Zetterberg