The Free Press’s Jamie Samuelssen discusses Henrik Zetterberg’s potential outcomes this morning:
If you were able to advise Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, what would you tell him?
I’m not in the business of telling people when they should retire.
First of all, it’s none of my business. Secondly, I’d never want someone to tell me when I should retire.
Henrik Zetterberg doesn’t seem to be seeking advice on what his next move should be. Or more to the point, he’s not listening to voices as much as he’s trying to listen to his body. And by all accounts, his body is telling him that his hockey career is over.
Zetterberg has been dealing with back issues ever since the Olympics in 2014. He missed stretches of seasons. He lost effectiveness on the ice at times. It got to the point last year where the only time he played hockey was in the games themselves, never in practice. The question is not whether Zetterberg can play in the NHL anymore. Of course he can. The question is whether or not he can play like Henrik Zetterberg again and it sure seems like he can’t.
It’s not really a matter of Z being his former self. He put up a ton of points last year, and even with a decline, he’d be a valuable contributor. It’s hard to argue someone who has “only” 46 assists last year is somehow struggling to keep up like whoever that baseball guy is.