#88 - Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik Zetterberg (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #88)

Adjusted Stats

2002-2003  Det        79 GP   25 goals   25 assists   51 points     0.65 PPG
2003-2004  Det        61 GP   18 goals   34 assists   51 points     0.84 PPG
2005-2006  Det        77 GP   40 goals   47 assists   86 points     1.12 PPG
2006-2007  Det        63 GP   35 goals   37 assists   73 points     1.15 PPG
2007-2008  Det*      75 GP   49 goals   55 assists   104 points   1.39 PPG
2008-2009  Det        77 GP   33 goals   45 assists   79 points     1.02 PPG
2009-2010  Det        74 GP   25 goals   52 assists   77 points     1.04 PPG
2010-2011  Det        80 GP   27 goals   63 assists   90 points     1.13 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

2002-2003   Det        4 GP     1 goal      0 assists     1 point         0.30 PPG
2003-2004   Det        12 GP   3 goals    3 assists      5 points       0.43 PPG
2005-2006   Det        6 GP     6 goals    0 assists      6 points       0.99 PPG
2006-2007   Det        18 GP   7 goals    9 assists      16 points     0.88 PPG
2007-2008   Det*      22 GP   14 goals  15 assists    28 points     1.29 PPG
2008-2009   Det        23 GP   11 goals  13 assists    25 points     1.07 PPG
2009-2010   Det        12 GP   7 goals     8 assists     14 points     1.17 PPG
2010-2011   Det        7 GP     3 goals     5 assists     8 points       1.15 PPG

Career - 586 GP, 252 goals, 358 assists, 611 points, 1.04 PPG
Career-Highs - 49 goals (07-08); 63 assists (10-11); 104 points (07-08); 1.39 PPG (07-08)
Avg. (8 seasons) - 73 GP, 32 goals, 45 assists, 76 points, 1.04 PPG

Playoff Career - 104 GP, 52 goals, 53 assists, 103 points, 0.99 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 14 goals (07-08); 15 assists (07-08); 28 points (07-08); 1.29 PPG (07-08)

Accolades - Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 1-time 2nd-team
1-time Stanley Cup Champion

A bit of a reach here, but I'm projecting what I think Zetterberg will accomplish for the rest of his career. With only two 80+ point seasons and one 100+ point season to his credit, Zetterberg's offensive accomplishments aren't quite at the elite level that his reputation might suggest. But Zetterberg is perenially averaging over a point a game at left-wing, no easy feat (even if he seems to miss about 10 games a season), and like his similar teammate Pavel Datsyuk, he's unquestionably one of the best two-way forwards in the game today.

At only 30 years old, Zetterberg probably has at least another six or seven good seasons left in his career. He'll no doubt end up with around 1100+ career points, good but not mind-blowing, but that doesn't change the fact that he is one of the most coveted left-wingers in the game...certainly with a more complete game than his contemporary Alexander Ovechkin, who has hogged the MVP awards and first-team all-star honours.

As with anyone who has spent their career with Detroit in the 2000s, Zetterberg's career +/- is extremely impressive, an average of about +18 per 82 games played. He simply doesn't make many defensive mistakes and, as with Datsyuk, he's one of the few players in the league who can score a beautiful breakaway goal or shut down the opponent's best line, depending on what his team needs. That's why with Zetterberg, it's about more than just the numbers, although the numbers are certainly impressive.

The one knock on Zetterberg throughout the first three or four seasons of his career was that he tended to dry up come postseason time. That all changed during Zetterberg's finest season, the 2007-2008 campaign. After scoring 49 goals and 104 points in the regular season, Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe trophy with a stellar 28 adjusted points and +11 rating in 22 playoff games. Since then, he's had 39 points in 35 playoff games and has, along with teammate Johan Franzen, become one of the most reliable scorers in the postseason.

Considering he was a key part of Sweden's gold medal Olympic team, Zetterberg is now established as one of the most successful winners of his era. If he continues to excel and the Red Wings' remain a contending team for a few more years, my assessment of Zetterberg's placement on the Pyramid will be accurate. However, if he drops off (something that seems unlikely), he could fall a few spots or perhaps even off my list. If I had to bet, it'd be on Zetterberg and Datsyuk continuing to remain one of the league's best forward duos, and on Zetterberg moving up the list of the best left-wingers to play for the Red Wings.