A few weeks ago, the Detroit Red Wings decided to mix things up and reunite the “Guelph Line”, shifting Tyler Bertuzzi down to the second line alongside Pius Suter and Robby Fabbri. Since the reunification, Detroit’s second line has been performing at an impressive level.
Let’s take a look at the numbers stack up for the individual members of the second line.
Tyler Bertuzzi
Tyler Bertuzzi is having a truly special year. After spending most of last season on the injury reserve due to a back injury, the gritty forward is proving surgery didn’t slow him down.
Bertuzzi is averaging a a point per game this season, with 23 goals and 21 assists through 44 games. Currently, he has an incredible 14.5 goals above replacement (16.8 expected) and 2.6 wins above replacement (3 expected).
Bertuzzi’s possession metrics are just as impressive, with 11.6 Corsi-for relative percentage and a 9.6 Fenwick for. That’s even more impressive, considering that with the team’s poor defensive showing this season has lowered the metrics of a good chunk of the roster.
A good amount of Bertuzzi’s points were collected on the top line, alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. However, he’s still been ridiculously efficient on the second line, giving both his line mates a major boost.
Pius Suter
According to Evolving-Hockey, Pius Suter has not been too impressive statistically this year. He has 11 goals and 12 assists in 52 games this season. As it stands, Suter’s goals above replacement is -0.7 (0.6 expected) and his wins above replacement is -0.1 (0.1 expected).
Suter’s possession metrics are also quite lackluster: 0.7 Corsi-for and -0.5 Fenwick-for.
Suter has spent the season centering Detroit’s second line. After a pretty mediocre start, he seems to have stabilized a bit, although his statistics are still just okay. With Bertuzzi on his line the rest of the year, keep on eye on Suter’s statistics, as they could very well see a decent boost.
Robby Fabbri
Like with Suter, Evolving-Hockey’s statistics aren’t too kind to Robby Fabbri. He has 14 goals and 13 assists in 50 games. Currently, he has a -2.7 goals above replacement (0.2 expected) and -0.5 wins above replacement (0 expected).
However, somewhat surprisingly, Fabbri’s possession metrics are significantly better than Suter’s. He has a 9.8 Corsi-for relative percentage and a 6.8 Fenwick-for.
Fabbri is having a very average season for Detroit. At times, he’s been extremely efficient on offense, pushing through opposing offensives with one of the better motors on the team. At others, he’s been a downright liability defensively. Again, the best way to truly judge Fabbri’s season will be to wait until the end of the year. With Bertuzzi on the second and the “Guelph Line” clicking, Fabbri’s stats will look better at the end of the year.
Conclusion
So, let’s contextualize these statistics a bit – they seem a little harsh for Fabbri and Suter.
Fabbri and Suter didn’t start the year great. With Filip Zadina on the wing, Detroit’s second line was quite lackluster, as the top line was doing the heavy lifting offensively. So, with Bertuzzi on the line and a recent improvement in performance, waiting for the stats at the end of the year will be a fairer judgement of the line’s performance.
The “Guelph Line” has given the Red Wings second line that can act as a serious offensive threat on some nights. That’s something that hasn’t existed for a while in Detroit, as the top line has consistently carried offensive play.