DETROIT -- Like so many players before them, Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller joined the Red Wings, thrived and now are hoping to make it a long-term relationship.
The two are both restricted free agents, and both are highly likely to be back for the 2010-11 edition of the Wings.
"I'd definitely like to come back," Miller said Monday, as the Wings gathered for one last time at Joe Louis Arena after losing in the second round of the playoffs. "I think I've found a place here that I can contribute to and continue to grow as a player. The history of the team, the way the organization is run, and then for myself, being from here, it's great."
General manager Ken Holland said he's interested in retaining both Miller and Eaves.
The Wings rescued Miller, 26, off waivers from Tampa Bay in November. He proceeded to become a huge part of their penalty-killing success, and also added 10 goals in 66 games while helping out as a top-six forward while half of the regulars were injured.
Eaves, 26, was signed last summer. He made an immediate impact as a penalty killer alongside Darren Helm and also contributed 12 goals among 22 points in 65 games . He, too, wants to come back for more.
"I loved it here," Eaves said. "I had a great year. It's a great place to be. The management is great, the coaching is great, but I'd have to say it's the leadership in the locker room. Kris Draper took me under his wing this year and I owe everything I did this year to him and all the older guys. They make you feel at ease, and they just let you do what you do out there."
The Wings maintain their success because veterans like Draper, 38, see it as a responsibility to mentor the next generation.
"Eaver is a great person," Kris Draper said. "He came in and was real excited to become a Detroit Red Wing. We played together a lot and I pretty well made it pretty clear: Any time, any thing, any situation you want to talk to about, I'm here for you. That's what I like to do."
While a second-round exit is considered disappointing in Detroit, that's precisely because of the heady standard the Wings have set since the mid-90s. That standard, in turn, is what's made superstars like Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg take less money to stay and made role players eager to remain in town.
"You listen to certain national broadcasts of news and Michigan seems to get a bit of a bad rap," veteran Kirk Maltby said. "But I've been here since '96 and anybody that's come here and I played, I don't think I can count how many guys have showed the desire to stay if possible. I think a lot of people are pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it is to play in Michigan, in Detroit."
It isn't just younger players who come to Detroit and adapt. Todd Bertuzzi, 35, contributed 18 goals in 82 regular-season games and 11 points in 12 playoff games , reinventing himself as a net-front presence.
"You come in and specify a role for you," defenseman Brad Stuart said. "They seem to know what you're good at and put you in a position to do well. You've got your leadership pretty much set at the top, so you just come in and don't have to worry about doing too much--you can just take some time to find out where you fit in and do what you think you do well, and they do a good job of letting you know what that is."
Like valuable individual pieces, newcomers and veterans fit together into a well-designed puzzle.
"We have a great bunch of guys," Draper said. "You walk in here and there's just a feeling like, you know what, these guys really believe that we can win every year."
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