The Detroit Red Wings have signed Vladislav Namestnikov, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 2 Year Deal for Namestnikov is $2M (more accurately it is $1.5 the first year and $2.5 after that). The Red Wings will try to place Namestnikov into their middle 6 to upgrade at the center position.

The Red Wing’s Center Situation

Last year the Red Wings iced ten different players at the Center position. While the team strategies and surrounding talent have to be taken into consideration, Namestnikov would rank near the top of many statistical categories were he a Red Wing for the 2019-20 season according to Natural Stat Trick)

What I’d like to focus on is the range of Namestnikov’s game and where he finds success. I speak to a ‘range’ because of his blocked shots and his High Danger Scoring Chances he created. On one side, Vladislav is laying his body on the line to prevent scoring, and on the other, doing all he can to get right in the goalie’s face.

Among Detroit centers, only one eclipsed Namestnikov’s Shots Blocked (40 shots blocked) and that was Luke Glendening (49 shots blocked). No surprise here, considering the style of game Glendening is expected to bring to the ice.

The same game can be played with hits delivered, as Namestnikov threw his body around 102 times. Making his totals second to only Glendening again, at 139 hits.

Namestnikov is a Two-Way Forward

For Namestnikov, he is expected to produce more offensively, as indicated by his career numbers being a smidge below a half-point per game clip. He is a two-way forward, no mistake about it. And he hasn’t mistaken that fact either with strong offensive outputs as well.

Those strong offensive outputs are reflected in Namestnikov’s individual High Danger CorsiFor chances (essentially his attempts on the net that are statistically most likely to result in a goal). It’s no surprise who is number one for the Wings. Dylan Larkin tops all centers with 54 iHDCF. Namestnikov would be 2nd on this list, at 42 iHDCF.

When analyzing these numbers, don’t forget how much can change team to team. Every situation is its own little snowflake. But what you can gather is that the Red Wings, at a very reasonable cost, picked up a forward who does not take either side of his game for granted.

While we have suffered through the likes of Athanasiou (being irresponsible or focusing too much on one side of the puck) the Red Wings will find themselves inserting a tremendous upgrade, whether he gets put into the 2nd or 3rd line this upcoming season.

More than an Upgrade at Center

While it’s not exciting to see production barely sniff a half-point per game, it is important that the Red Wings and Steve Yzerman find some stability in this lineup. When certain areas can be counted on to do their part, you can begin to assess other aspects that aren’t as clear.

I hate to keep running the poop truck on top of Athanasiou, but you can’t have his mistakes cloud or tarnish Yzerman and coach Jeff Blashill’s views on the Filip Zadina’s. It sounds silly, but the Nikita Kucherov’s can make a difference anywhere, but MVP trophies come from team efforts. Zadina might be a top goal scorer for one franchise and a middling underperformer for another.

Yzerman and Blashill can get a better sense of where the talent grades out when guys like Vladislav Namestnikov join the team. Fewer turnovers. More opportunities for upfront scoring. Less puck chasing. More puck possession. All of that leads to testing and properly analyzing that dangerous shot from Zadina.

If you’d like a little more information on this signing, the NHL Draft, and the rest of free agency, check out our podcast page. We go through his analytics and stats of Slava Kozlov’s nephew with the Tampa Bay Lightning (his time working with and being drafted by Steve Yzerman), New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Colorado Avalanche.

Are you excited for Namestnikov to be a Red Wing? How much do you trust the Yzerplan? How many wins do you think we can hope for? Tell us in the comments or find us on Twitter as @BODHockey!