Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg gets major props this week, leading the league in scoring so far.

Smyth Returns Home

Longtime Edmonton resident Ryan Smyth returns to his old digs for the first time since being traded to the New York Islanders at the 2006-2007 trade deadline.

The return of ‘Captain Canada’ has been a long time coming for the fans who may have some strong words for the winger and Edmonton’s most popular player since Wayne Gretzky. Smyth has been loyal to the Edmonton Oilers spanning his 12 seasons with the team. He is also recognized for his charity work within the city and strong relationship with the Oiler fans.

Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe had reportedly offered Smyth a five-year US$27 million deal with a no-trade clause, but Smyth, who felt like he had signed for less money to stay in his beloved city previously, rejected anything less than $27.5 million.

Instead, rather than lose Smyth as an unrestricted free agent, Lowe sought other options and sent Smyth to the New York Islanders for young prospects Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra along with the Islanders' 2007 first-round draft pick (which turned out to be defenceman Alex Plante).

Edmonton fans were shocked to hear the news that their hero had been traded to the struggling New York Islanders. The Isles were making a last ditch effort to make the playoffs, and they thought that Smyth was that missing piece that they badly needed.

In 18 regular season games with New York, Smyth scored 5 goals, 10 assists, and racked up 14 penalty minutes in helping the Islanders move into the 8th and final 2006-07 Eastern Conference playoff spot. Smyth then put up one goal, three assists, and four penalty minutes as the heavily favoured Buffalo Sabres eliminated the eighth-seeded Islanders in five games on April 20, 2007.

Lowe had taken a lot of criticism from fans and many of them expected Smyth to come back to play with Edmonton when the season ended. Smyth made the decision to play for Colorado after longtime friend and Avalanche captain Joe Sakic called him personally to ask if he would consider coming to Colorado. Smyth claims that it is a good fit for his family and looks forward to playing with Sakic on a Stanley Cup contending team.

Although the Edmonton Oilers could use Smyth on the power play, they are choosing to concentrate on their game instead of thinking about the off ice politics and drama. Edmonton needs a win badly and, more importantly, they need to prove that they can handle the Western teams.

Edmonton hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

Torres in Trouble Again

Edmonton’s Raffi Torres is claiming innocence after being hit with a $2,500 fine for checking Calgary Flames winger David Moss in Saturday’s game. Moss left the game with a concussion and he is out of the Flames’ lineup indefinitely.

Torres says that he intended to check Moss’ teammate, Kristian Huselius, and did not see Moss until it was too late. While Torres knows that the NHL disciplinarians are keeping close watch, he insists that the hit to Moss’ head was anything but intentional. "If they're fining me to let the rest of the league know they're cracking down then I guess I'll take the fine. I understand what they're doing."

Moss has been cleared to practice with the team and he says he is feeling better each day. He has not publicly commented on the hit or the fine to Torres.

Player Profile – Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik was once called the most underrated player in the league by visiting Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky. This is nothing short of an incredible honour.

A native of Sweden, Henrik Zetterberg has had the great fortune of playing with some of the NHL’s top European players. He was a member of the "Swedish Five," a line the Red Wings featured beginning in the 2005-2006 season. Head coach Mike Babcock assembled a starting lineup of five players that are all from Sweden: Zetterberg, Tomas Holmström, Mikael Samuelsson, Nicklas Lidström, and Niklas Kronwall. The line played together at the 2006 Winter Olympics, in which Sweden won the gold medal.
His career stats are impressive, posting 257 points in just 289 games with the Detroit Red Wings.

Zetterberg is currently leading the league with 17 points and has at least one point in all nine games this season. He has scored in six straight games, beating his career high set March 9-18, 2006.

Zetterberg scored a goal and assisted on another as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2 on Saturday.

The Wings have six wins and two losses and they are sitting atop the Western Conference’s Central Division.

Questions and comments may be sent to Lori-AnneRozario-Beck@sportsgrumblings.com.