Last season, Lang played the wily veteran that was looking at the twilight of his career. Appearing in 64 games, he recorded 29 points (9G 20A), his lowest numbers since 1997-98. His season was marred by injury and he didn't have the speed or skill that he once had. There are plenty of question marks surrounding Lang for 2010-11, especially what his future will hold with the club. If he does come back with the Coyotes, he doesn't look to put up the same numbers that he did with the Red Wings or or Blackhawks. He has to stay healthy first.
Lang enjoyed his best season in 2000-01 while playing on the same line with Alex Kovalev, who also had his best season. Lang put up 80 points (38g/42a) while Kovalev went for 95 points (44g/51a). However, they will not be playing together to start the season. Lang is set to center the third line with Sergei Kostitsyn and Guillaume Latendresse.
It's hard to believe that a 36-year-old is on the rise, but he will be getting more than the 17 minutes of ice time per game that he received while with the Red Wings last season. Given that he'll be skating alongside of the Hawks' leading scorer in Martin Havlat, Lang should have plenty of opportunities to contribute with assists if Havlat stays healthy, while also logging significant ice time with the man advantage.
He's essentially a no-check czech, but if 65-75 points will satisfy you, that's within his range. Look for Lang to float between the top two lines in Detroit again this year. Also expect him to miss anywhere from 5-15 games with a variety of minor injuries.
Probably the most underrated forward on the Red Wings, a creative, nifty skater and passer who sees the ice well. The new rules will help Lang's game, as will a training camp to get to know his new playmates better. He could be one of the sneaky values in 2005-06, as he's made a career out of floating beneath the radar. And best of all, his no-Czech style of play won't hurt your fantasy team one bit, albeit it could get under the skin of Mike Babcock now and again.
