Will Johan 'The Mule' Franzen Overcome an Injury-Plagued 2009-10 Season?

Simply put, 2009-10 was a rough year for the Red Wings.

Everyone knows what they went through on the injury front and no player was as big of a loss to the team as Johan Franzen.

October 8th, Detroit's first game back in North America and their first real home opener, Johan Franzen suffered a torn ACL that would sideline him for 55 games.

Franzen's season totals have increased with every year since his debut in 2005. With each passing season, his playoff stats have improved as well, ultimately making him one of the most prolific playoff performers the Detroit Red Wings have ever seen.

On their way to capturing the 2008 Stanley Cup, Johan Franzen tallied 18 points in 16 games, included a total of 12 goals and two hat tricks during Detroit's second round tilt against the Colorado Avalanche.

The following year, Franzen missed more time near the end of the season, giving him a year-end total of only 71 games played. Even still, the right wing player ended the year with an impressive 34 goals and 59 points. Not to mention ending the playoffs with 23 points in 23 games (12 goals and 11 assists).

Things were looking up for Johan last year, when he took the ice in his first game against the St. Louis Blues. He scored one point (an assist) and didn't look as though he had missed a lot of time. What he lacked in speed he made up for in the way he threw his body around the ice.

Unfortunately, things would only turn sour during the Red Wings' third game.

Franzen would end the year with only 27 games played, but he still managed to end the year with 21 points scored and a chance to attend the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Detroit only lasted 12 games in this year's playoffs, but Franzen still recorded 18 points. Franzen even had one of the most memorable statistical games ever for a Red Wing in a single playoff game.

May 6th was an epic game for Johan. The Wings were down 3-0 in a best of seven series versus the Sharks and were only looking to avoid being swept.

Franzen scored a hat trick in a span of 3:26 (two seconds short of an NHL record). He also had a goal called off that tipped Bertuzzi's ankle.

He finished the game with four goals, but his performance really showed that he was back to being the beast, or Mule, everyone has come to know and like.

Will this translate into success for himself and the Wings in 2010-11?

It's hard to tell.

When healthy, Franzen has the ability to plow through the opposition. Especially since other teams still haven't come to realize that when they focus on covering Zetterberg and Datsyuk, Franzen is right there too.

If all goes well and Franzen has a healthy year, there may be a chance that the Mule can end the year with 40-45 goals. And if all goes really well, he could finally help the Wings regain their Central Division dominance and Perennial Cup contention status. 

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