Why it matters that the Red Wings' centers are left-handed

It's a roster quirk that will impact Detroit throughout the season.

When it comes to scouting the Detroit Red Wings, I’ll let you in on a poorly kept secret about their centers.

All of them are left-handed.

And the handedness of Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen, and Joe Veleno has become a point of discussion for a Red Wings team that’s been beaten in the face-off circle consistently through their first four games, ranking 32nd, last, in the NHL with a 40.1 win rate on draws.

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde realizes it’s a reality of the makeup of his roster, something he has to deal with. Lalonde said it’s not a reason to change the lineup, but it is something that will continue to impact puck possession throughout the season for Detroit.

I asked Lalonde for more detail on why handedness makes such an impact on faceoffs, and he deflected well with coach speak, giving a suitable answer, but not giving away any finer details.

But the finer details and the “why?” of this are important. This is why a number of years ago I asked Martin Hanzal, then with the Dallas Stars and known for his faceoff prowess, about various faceoff setups.

It’s the same reason I spoke with a former NHL center, currently working for an NHL front office to make sure I properly understood why right vs. left matters on faceoffs.

For starters, it’s not the actual position on the ice, but the position of the linesman that creates a strong vs. weak side for a center on faceoffs. The linesman positions himself closer to the board before the drop, so he can stay away from the center of the ice.

When the faceoff is taking place to the goalie’s left in the defensive zone, the linesman is to the left of the defensive center and the right of the offensive center. Most centers are stronger trying to win a draw with their backhand, and if the linesman is on the left, for a lefty, he’s given more clearance for the lefty center to have a full array of faceoff approaches, including trying to tie it up or using his feet.

For example, look at this faceoff in the neutral zone from last week against the Los Angeles Kings.

Veleno is taking the draw for Detroit on the right side, the linesman is on the right side of the Red Wings’ center, which cuts into the space Veleno has to power through the draw.

Here’s another faceoff from that same game, this time in the Detroit zone, where it’s taken on the right and you can see the amount of space the linesman takes from a lefty on the right side.

Meanwhile, the Kings center, a lefty taking the faceoff on the left, has more space to generate power on the backhand, or drive his feet forward.

Here’s a better angle, which shows how Anze Kopitar, a lefty on his left, has a spatial advantage off the jump against a lefty, Copp, on their right.

This is why the NHL made it a rule that a team gets to pick the faceoff dot when the other team ices the puck. Every team, assuming they have a left-handed center themselves, will pick to have the Red Wings taking faceoffs on their rightside.

Detroit, on the other hand, will likely always pick the left faceoff circle when the other team ices the puck. This makes sense for Detroit, but it also makes it easier for opponents to plan for, it’s a habit that’s created by the Red Wings roster construction.

If you’re Lalonde and the Red Wings you have to make do with what you have. It’s why the Red Wings rely heavily on in-game faceoff analytics when picking whom will take a draw during the game, and it’s the reason you’ll potentially see Oskar Sundqvist — who is not left-handed — take occasional draws for Rasmussen on the right side.

Sundqvist’s stick has his nickname on it, “Sunshine,” which is fitting of his hair and a nice callback to “Remember the Titans.”

But with the Red Wings lack of right-handed centers, and having similar hair, the next set of sticks for Sundqvist could read “Inigo Montoya.”