Johan Franzen has had a very good start to the 2011/12 NHL season, and that bodes very well for the Red Wings' chances at a 12th Stanley Cup.
When Franzen burst onto the scene during the 2007/08 season, he looked as though he was ready to score 50 goals a year. He scored an unbelievable 13 goals in 16 games that postseason alone, and he carried that momentum into the following year with 34 goals in the regular season and another 12 in the playoffs. Both of those seasons resulted in trips to the Cup Finals.
A torn ACL limited Franzen to only 27 games in 2009/10, and the Wings had an early exit from the playoffs at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. In 2010/11, Franzen seemed to be back to his old ways, scoring 28 goals, including five in one game on February 2nd. The problem, however, is that only two of his 28 tallies came after that five-goal performance, as he sleepwalked through the last two months of the season, and the Wings suffered yet another playoff exit to the Sharks.
Notice a pattern developing?
So, what has been keeping The Mule down?
Some may point to the gaudy 11-year, $43.5 million co ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ryan Bourdeau
Detroit Red Wings: Johan Franzen Scoring Means Good Things Ahead for Red Wings
October 22nd, 2011 by Ryan Bourdeau Leave a reply »
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