TRAVERSE CITY -- In a way, it's new and in a way it's not.
Veteran Red Wings center and alternate captain Kris Draper will be spending time as a winger in the exhibition season.
While this may seem strange to those who associate the hard-nosed, hard-skating Draper in the middle of the famous Grind Line, but it's not an alien concept. Draper has played wing before and he has been productive in that role, both as a scorer and as a two-way checker.
As he prepares to enter his 17th NHL season and his 13th with Detroit, Draper is being placed on a line with fellow speedsters Dan Cleary and Valtteri Filpulla. Coach Mike Babcock's experiment is expected to last at least through the nine-game exhibition season and, if things go well, into the regular season. One big advantage for Draper is the likelihood of seeing more ice time.
"I see it as a challenge and an opportunity," Draper said. "Mike (Babcock) talked to me about it in August, so I knew it was coming. Whatever Babs wants to do is fine with me. The big thing now for Clears, Fil and me is spending time together on the ice and creating chemistry."
Throughout his distinguished career, Draper has been the blue-collar guy whose contributions are measured as much in sweat and goals prevented as in bottom line stats. His season totals from last year are typical: 14 goals and 15 assists in 81 games with a plus-7 rating. As Wings General Manager Ken Holland noted on Friday at Centre ICE, Draper has been a dependable 30-point player for many years.
The one exception, not surprisingly, is the 2003-04 season when Draper saw time on the wing. That year, Draper scored 24 goals and had 16 assists in just 67 games. Even though he produced more offensively, his work at the other end of the ice did not suffer. He earned a plus-22 rating, the best of his career, and he also tied for his career high in short-handed goals with five.
"Kris is versatile; he can play center or either of the wing spots," Holland said. "His best attribute is his speed. He goes 100 miles an hour and can generate a lot of offense. He's been on the wing before and he scored (24) goals, so this isn't new territory for him."
Holland noted that nothing is etched in stone regarding Draper's potential switch to wing. And, even if Babcock opts to keep Draper, Cleary and Filpulla together, it doesn't mean that Draper will be exclusively a winger.
"Right now today, Drapes is at wing, but I see him switching between wing and center," Holland said. "Mike has the final say. Whatever he thinks will benefit the team the most is what will be. One thing everybody knows about Drapes: He's one of the premiere checkers in the league and we don't want to sacrifice that part of his game. Wherever he plays, he'll still be doing a lot of checking."
However things play out, Draper is excited. He came into camp in excellent physical condition in spite of having sports hernia surgery in the spring and being laid up for six weeks.
"It was a long six weeks," Draper said with a chuckle. "I'm used to taking a few weeks off after the season and then getting right back into my workout routine. After six weeks off to recuperate, I was chomping at the bit."
The Toronto native is dedicated to off-season training, working out six days a week and three-and-a-half hours a day with a personal trainer. That is one major reason why his body has been able to endure the rigors of 16 NHL seasons and why, at the age of 36, he is still very much in his prime.
"You look at guys like Cheli (Chris Chelios) and Lidstrom who've played at such a high level for a long time, and they take care of themselves," Draper said. "That's what you have to do if you want to stay around in this league."
Draper expects Anaheim and San Jose to be two of the top teams in the Western Conference this season and expects Nashville to be up there among the elite as well.
"I feel the same way about our hockey club," he added. "There's no reason why we can't be right up there again."
That holds true, whether Draper is contributing at wing or at center.
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