Checking in on “former” defenseman Derek Meech

Oh wait? He’s still on the team?

Yes folks, Derek Meech is still a Red Wing, despite the fact that the majority of fans, writers and experts have already written him off as traded. Admittedly, I find myself in the same camp, as it just doesn’t look like there are enough seats on the big boy bus for Meech to fit, but stranger things have happened this off-season. But before we go down the “what could happen…” road, let’s take a look back at how number 14 arrived with the organization and what he’s accomplished since he’s been here.

Meech was a 7th round pick for the Wings in the 2002 entry draft (229th overall), coming from the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League. While playing with the Rebels, Meech played along side Calgary star Dion Phaneuf as the team’s top defensive pairing. In 328 regular season and playoff games with Red Deer, Meech tallied 113 points, which was good enough to earn him the call-up to the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2004. With the Griffins, Meech would continue to refine his game and show improvement, and was named an AHL All Star after posting six goals and 23 assists in 67 games during the ‘06-’07 season.

Heading into the ‘07-’08 season, Meech was named to the Red Wings final roster, which for many was a forgone conclusion after such a successful campaign with Grand Rapids the year before. However, had Meech not been elevated to the Wings roster, he would have been exposed to waivers, and that possibility was a factor in the decision to bring him up (Sound familiar, Jimmy Howard fans?). In his first season with the big club, Meech played 32 games but only tallied 3 assists and a -5 rating. However, he was still named the Red Wings Rookie of the Year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters’ Association, and optimism remained high. Meech would see an increase in playing time during this past season, appearing in 41 regular season games and contributing two goals and five assists. However, Meech’s -12 rating over that span raised a number of questions, especially considering that Kris Draper’s team worst -13 rating was spread out over 79 games.

Heading into the off season, the Wings knew that they were going to have to be creative in order to make accommodate the salary cap, and Meech was quickly speculated to be one of the players the Wings would be willing to part ways with in order to keep star forward Marian Hossa. But with Hossa’s defection to the Blackhawks and the subsequent departures of Mikael Samuelsson, Ty Conklin, Tomas Kopecky and Jiri Hudler, the Wings quickly found themselves with a shortage of players to fill the active roster. However, that shortage was mainly on the front lines, and the defense looked to be pretty much shored up, with the injured Andreas Lilja being the lone exception. It wouldn’t take long for Ken Holland to fill those gaps, inking Patrick Eaves, Jason Williams and Todd Bertuzzi to deals, and Meech quickly found himself back on the trade block.

So here’s the question: What’s going to keep Derek Meech as a part of the Red Wings organization?

Meech has a couple of things going for him that could ultimately keep him around for the upcoming season, although his playing time would likely stay flat or potentially decrease from the past season. One of the big draws with Meech is that he is actually a fairly effective two-way player, who has been used at left wing during parts of his career. When the “summer defection” was in full swing this off-season, there were some who suggested that moving Meech up to the wing on a full-time basis could be a viable solution. At first glance, it’s not a terrible idea, but the Wings have brought him up as a defenseman over the past seven years, and moving him to forward would only be a temporary fix and not the long term solution that Ken Holland and the front office were looking for. Additionally, Meech’s trade value is not nearly as high as someone like Brett Lebda, who has much more regular season and playoff experience and who could potentially draw better returns should the Wings decide to move a player. Add to that the fact that Meech becomes a restricted free agent after this season, and the Wings could conceivably hold out until next off-season and then move Meech via a “sign -and-trade” deal, potentially landing more for him than they would in a straight-up deal this summer.

In the end, it does appear that Meech’s time is winding down with the Wings. The emergence of Jonathan Ericsson this past year had to put Meech on notice, and if he wasn’t then, he most certainly was when the Wings inked prospect Jakub Kindl to a three year deal during the off-season. Add to that the recent news that Lilja is hoping to make a return to the Wings before the Olympic break, and the Wings have to shed some salary. Like I said, Meech might be able to survive this season as a member of the Wings, but that would involve moving Lebda, which might be too much of a risk for the front office at this point, and having Lilja sit out the rest of the season. I don’t expect either of those to happen, just like I don’t expect Meech to be suiting up for Hockeytown’s finest this season. If it was up to me, I’m shopping Meech around in the hopes that I land a warm body for depth in Grand Rapids or a solid draft pick, and calling it a day.

But, like I said, stranger things have happened this off-season.

Tags: Derek Meech