Healthy Vanek insists he won't be Red Wings' savior after 11-game absence
Thomas Vanek will be back in the lineup Sunday night, but he's trying to keep expectations in check.
The Detroit Red Wings forward cautioned against assuming he'll be able to single-handedly reverse the team's fortunes when he plays against the Calgary Flames after missing the last 11 games.
"I'm not here to save anything," Vanek told Dana Wakiji of the Red Wings' official website.
"Before when I first got here I felt like I could still play in this league and make my teammates better. That's what good players can do and I feel like I'm still a good player. I'm not here to go out there and score three goals and try to be some kind of hero. Whoever I play with tonight, I'll try to make those two better. And If they make me better, hopefully we have success as a line."
Vanek set the bar high with four goals and four assists in seven games for his new club before suffering a hip injury.
The Red Wings went 3-7-1, scoring only 18 goals and being shut out three times in his absence.
Vanek is tied for second on the team in goals and points despite missing more than half of Detroit's first 18 games.