Red Wings Grades 2020-21 (Really only 21, I guess)

[MBH]

Hronek. B. 2-24-26
Led the team in scoring after a slow start. Never did get on track on the powerplay. Both goals were empty netters. Team worst -18.
Larkin. C-. 9-14-23.
Second straight regression for Larkin. Lost Bertuzzi to injuries. The Blashill removed Mantha from his line. Spent two weeks with Mattias Brome on his line. Still hustled. But even in that department, he wasn't his usual self. His faceoffs dropped below 50 percent. His icetime dropped. The losing, the players getting traded... he just seems worn down.
Mantha. D. 11-10-21
Looked like ass too often. Wings were counting on him and he faltered. Yes, Blashill sucks. No, Blashill doesn't have a clue about managing skilled players. But Mantha threw in the towel and played labotimized hockey.
Erne. A+. 11-9-20
Nobody expected Erne to score at a 20-goal clip. He also played well on the boards and was a good energy line guy. Just can't be stupid about his next contract.
Zadina. C-. 6-13-19.
You see what Vrana did in Detroit. That's the kind of player Detroit fans wanted in Zadina. Zadina will never be that good, offensively. I don't want to hear about Zadina's 200-foot game. 6 goals in 49 games is really disappointing, considering he played top 6 and had lots of powerplay minutes.
Fabbri. B+. 10-8-18
10 goals in 30 games is a ton for the Red Wings. 18 points in 30 games is solid. Fabbri was also a +3, tied for the lead.
Namestnikov. C. 8-9-17.
Not very productive but was a versatile player who filled lots of roles decently.
Filppula. C+. 6-9-15.
Came on at the end. Was benched earlier. Looked lost for about 20 games. But seemed focused and more effective returning to the lineup.
Glendening. A-. 6-9-15.
Solid production from Glendening. 61 percent on faceoffs. Played lots of tough minutes.
Sam Gagner. C-. 7-8-15.
Still shows nice flashes of skill from time to time. Hard to believe he was used on the PK.
Bobby Ryan. C. 7-7-14.
Great start. Miserably low finish.
Was racking up the minuses at a super high rate.
Dekeyser. C. 7-8-12.
Had a nice offensive finish. Improved as the season went on. He looked like he was finished as an NHLer through 20-30 games. Still isn't what he once was. Wouldn't get a regular shift on a lot of defenses.
Rasmussen. C-. 3-9-12.
Rasmussen spent most of the year at center. Production actually was worse than his rookie year, two years ago. His goal scoring completely disappeared. Showing almost nothing in a net-front role. He was playing a tougher role at center, so, some slack should be given, but still.
Vrana. A. 8-3-11.
Vrana has been the typical sniper winger who isn't too concerned with defense. Will be interesting to see how the Wings deal with his contract and how he performs in the future.
Djoos.D. 2-9-11
Djoos helped the offense at times, but was mostly a liability in his own end.
Stecher. C. 3-8-11,
Defensive game kept getting worse as the season went on.
Staal.B+. 3-7-10.
Because of his age/speed, at times, he just can't physically keep up. But this guy battled hard on the walls and in front of the goal. Looked a little like Brad Stuart did at the end of his career.
Svechnikov. C. 3-5-8
Decent production for 21 games - grading on the Red Wings curve. Not sure he changed any minds, though.
50/50 at best that he returns.
Helm. C. 3-5-8
Hustled. Contributed to the Wings most cohesive line (Helm-Glendening-Erne). PK'd. Offense kept getting worse.
Nemeth. C. 2-6-8
Was perhaps the most underrated player last year. Game slipped this year. Was still fairly solid after a terrible start.
Bertuzzi. INC. 5-2-7
Powerplay started OK with him out there. He finished tied for the lead in powerplay goals despite playing 7 games.
Nielsen. C-. 1-5-6
Nielsen wasn't as bad as the complaints about him.
Just riding out this contract. Wouldn't be stunned if he retired.
Merrill. C-. 0-5-5
Contributed very little offensively. Was erratic in the Dzone.
Smith, D, 1-4-5
Givani just didn't do anything to impress this year. Inconsistent physical effort. No production or skill shown.
Panik, C, 1-3-4
Panik showed some grit and compete in the ozone. But his defensive zone decision making was strange at times.
Lindstrom, C, 0-3-3.
Looked a lot like last year. Non-descript, except when he was getting pasted into the boards.
Biega, D, 0-3-3
Cholowski, C, 1-2-3
Offensively, we just haven't seen Cholowski ever show what he flashed at the start of his NHL career. Defensively, he has improved a bit. Hard to judge young defensemen in this system, with these centers, with these defensive partners.
Brome, F, 1-1-2
Bernier, A. 9-11-1 .914 2.99
Improved on last year despite fading a bit down the stretch.
Greiss, B-. 8-15-8. 2.70 .912
Just could win games early. In part, due to goal support. In part due to very "unclutch" goaltending. But he found his center and was much better in the second half.
Blashill. D-.
Another losing season from the Loser-In-Chief.
Better compared to last year's disaster. Still worse than when we were two years ago when it looked like the Wings were turning a corner.

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[bedtime20]

Bernie A

Greiss B

Pickard C+

Vrana A+

Lindstrom D+

 

[Shaman464]

The grades MBH posted are useless, and as always try to atomize things to stat lines without context. His hate for Zadina is front and center. He doesn't put anything into a grander context and only grades on personal bias.

 

[ricky0034]

The grades MBH posted are useless, and as always try to atomize things stat lines without context. His hate for Zadina is front and center. He doesn't put anything into a grander context and only grades on personal bias.

"hate" isn't really the word i'd use for giving a second year guy that just scored 6 goals and 19 points in 48 games after having 8 goals and 15 points in 28 last year a C-

should a Winger playing top 6 minutes scoring at a ~10 goal/30 point pace get an A or what?

 

[Shaman464]

"hate" isn't really the word i'd use for giving a second year guy that just scored 6 goals and 19 points in 48 games after having 8 goals and 15 points in 28 last year a C-

should a Winger playing top 6 minutes scoring at a ~10 goal/30 point pace get an A or what?

Their top center had 23 points. Its not like he was playing with all stars and was a blackhole. The "leader" of the team was absolute garbage, and when he's the one doing the best in the forward group its going to trickle down.

 

[DetroitRed]

Well, I'm not sure how best to grade, whether to do so in comparison to all others in the NHL at their respective position, or to grade against all players at their age, or just against the other Red Wings. Also, do I just look at how a guy played for us and forget how he played earlier in the season for another team?

Here's what I think though:

• C- maximum for Larkin, just too big of a step back in a season when he accepted the captaincy.
  
• Hard for me to agree that Dekeyser wouldn't get a regular shift on a lot of teams and then turn around and award him a C.
• As much as I believe in Hronek as a young player, there's too many caveats to list beside him leading the team in assists, for me to give him more than a C+/B-. But I think a lot of guys would grade him even lower than that.
  
• Zadina is kinda a C- unless you throw expectations into it. Then he's more in the D range for a guy ranked third in his draft at one point.
• I don't know about a B+ for Staal's hard work, because the end result wasn't always pretty. Did he play to the level of the average NHL defender? If I answer the question that way, then he's probably not a C+ let alone a B+.
• Neilsen might be a C if you take into account that the average Red Wing ain't working out for the team, because that's how I would describe him. To me, this is probably a D/D- player, had a stretch in the E zone, ultimately heading for F.
  
• Chowlowski has enough experience to be starting to shine, but he's not. He's not a C by comparison or expectations - another D-range guy.
• Rasmussen failed at what we got him for and doesn't perform up to average NHL average. I might grade him a little lower than Cholowski: kind of a D-/D.
  
• I could maybe go with Filppula: C-, but I think he's more of a D+/D and falling.
  
• I've seen too many players achieve only the bare minimum that we expected of them, under Blashill. Player development might be his strongest area but he's still not very good at even that. D- is a gift.
• Greiss showed flashes of total inability, no doubt he's heading for the door soon, as is normal for a goalie his age. His numbers are a bit deceiving because he wasn't on the front line, didn't take the shelling Bernier took. I don't think he's a B- on a league scale, but he was ultimately passing as a backup netminder on this team and an improvement over Howard. I would say more like C- to C+.

 

[14ari13]

Hronek A- 2-24-26
Led the team in points and icetime, played both pp and PK. Team worst -18.
Larkin C 9-14-23.
Mantha D+ 11-10-21
Erne A+ 11-9-20
Obviously the most improved player on the team.
Zadina C 6-13-19
His production is very bad, but I liked how he carried the puck in defensive and offensive zone.
Fabbri B+ 10-8-18
Easily one of our best players this season, maybe the best one.
Namestnikov C- 8-9-17.
Nielsen lite. No goals in 40 games other than 4 empty netters despite playing both PP and PK .
Filppula. C+. 6-9-15.
Strong finish of the season.
Glendening A- 6-9-15.
Sam Gagner C- 7-8-15.
Bobby Ryan C- 7-7-14.
Dekeyser B 7-8-12.
Leads our defenders with 4 goals and +/- with +3, shares the lead with Fabbri and a other player.
Rasmussen C 3-9-12.
I like the potential I see, but we need more from him. He played our top centre since Larkin got injured so maybe a B
Vrana. A. 8-3-11.
Easily a A+ had he played more games.
Djoos.D. 2-9-11
Stecher. C. 3-8-11,
Staal.B-. 3-7-10.
Svechnikov. C+ 3-5-8
I want him back
Helm. C. 3-5-8
Nemeth. C+. 2-6-8
Bertuzzi. INC. 5-2-7
Nielsen. E- . 1-5-6
He made 2 mistakes almost every shift. He has enough experience to quickly cover up his mistakes, but man his decision making is brutal.
Merrill. B. 0-5-5
Led the team with +6 just a few games before he got traded. Can you believe +6 on this team?
Smith, D, 1-4-5
Panik, C+, 1-3-4
He impressed me with his physical game.
Lindstrom, C, 0-3-3
Biega, D, 0-3-3
Cholowski, C, 1-2-3
Brome, F, 1-1-2
Bernier, A. 9-11-1 .914 2.99
Our MVP despite some not so good games lately. I would be very glad to bring him back.
Greiss, B+. 8-15-8. 2.70 .912
Astonishing finish of the season, points in his last 10 starts.
Blashill. B+

I might be wrong on some details I just wrote the comments from my memory. So no offence if anyone feels to correct me on the details, on the contrary would appreciate to get it right.

 

[MBH]

"hate" isn't really the word i'd use for giving a second year guy that just scored 6 goals and 19 points in 48 games after having 8 goals and 15 points in 28 last year a C-

should a Winger playing top 6 minutes scoring at a ~10 goal/30 point pace get an A or what?

Maybe C- is a minus too hard. Maybe not.

Shaman doesn't give a f*** about a low grade for Rasmussen. But criticize his boy Zadina, and he's all worked up.

I just don't know how one rationally defends Zadina's production.

Zadina
19-20 425 minutes 8-7-15
20-21 823 minutes 6-13-19

Zadina Goals in 20-21 = 6
vs Predictions
@Zetterberg4Captain 17
@newfy 18
@Barry Amsterdam 22
@MBH 15
@Pavels Dog 23
@Hen Kolland 19
@Winger98 14
@ArmChairGM89 19
@OgeeOgelthorpe 20
@Henkka 11
@Ezekial 19
@NotLeddy 19
@DATSOMATIC13 17
@ShippinItDaily 16
@JustJokinenAround 22
Bold Predictions & Other BS Contest

So our range was 11 to 23.
He scored 6.

I'm seeing people make excuses about a lack of a setup man.

The lack of playmakers didn't stop Vrana from scoring eight goals in 11 games.
So you can't blame Zadina's inability to "fill nets" on anyone but Zadina, really. Sure, his overall production is hurt by Blashill and the lack of playmakers.
But he still disappointed.

His shot isn't elite.
His size and skating are only average.
I still think he's got 20-30-50 ability. But man, that's a bit lower than I had him pegged two years ago.

 

[MBH]

Their top center had 23 points. Its not like he was playing with all stars and was a blackhole. The "leader" of the team was absolute garbage, and when he's the one doing the best in the forward group its going to trickle down.

Vrana.
11 games. 8 goals.
Zadina
49 games. 6 goals.

 

[lilidk]

Blashill coaching need power forwards and grinders. He is not a good coach for skill players. Bunch of players have confidence issue. Players like Glendening, Erne, Bertuzzi, Smith are had good season because coaching stile in Detroit. Creative players like Zadina, Cholowski, Vrana , Bergreen, Raymond not going to benefits from Blashill

 

[lilidk]

For next season I Prefer see Zadina in Frolunda rather than Detroit

 

[WingsMJN2965]

"hate" isn't really the word i'd use for giving a second year guy that just scored 6 goals and 19 points in 48 games after having 8 goals and 15 points in 28 last year a C-

should a Winger playing top 6 minutes scoring at a ~10 goal/30 point pace get an A or what?

You act like they were put in a system for anybody to succeed offensively.

The last 10 games made it pretty obvious that Detroit's strategy was defend and try to win games 1-0 or 2-1.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Their top center had 23 points. Its not like he was playing with all stars and was a blackhole. The "leader" of the team was absolute garbage, and when he's the one doing the best in the forward group its going to trickle down.

That's an explanation for why he performed poorly, but it doesn't automatically win him extra credit.

"But teacher, I actually took the exam hungover, so really I deserve that C bumped up to an A!"

 

[WingsMJN2965]

For next season I Prefer see Zadina in Frolunda rather than Detroit

The f***?

 

[Run the Jewels]

I don't have any strong objections with the OPs grades. One takeaway for me is the younger skill guys Yzerman acquired - Fabbri, Vrana - were two of our best forwards with regard to production. Erne was also a really nice pickup.

I think the guys Yzerman picked up on defense mostly did their jobs, ie they improved on one of the worst the defenses the NHL had seen in quite a long time. I was disappointed with Stecher, I expected a bit more out of him. He was the only guy I expected any offense from, the other guys were obviously not going to produce much if any offense.

I'm so glad we were able to trade Mantha, which I had been pushing for over the past few years. I've been skeptical/bearish on Cholowski and Rasmussen and I don't see anything to warrant selecting them in the first round. Zadina is a nice complimentary player but I just don't see a 30 goal scorer at this point. I said on draft day either Detroit knew something about Zadina that the other teams who passed on him did not, or those front offices knew something Holland and Wright didn't. No real shock how that worked out.

Next year is going to be a huge year for Larkin, he really needs to elevate his play. I don't think he will ever be a 1C on a good NHL team, He should still be capable of putting up 20-25 goals and 55 or so points.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

Vrana.
11 games. 8 goals.
Zadina
49 games. 6 goals.

Vrana
16 goals in first 94 games
Zadina
15 goals in first 86 games

Talking as if Zadina has no more room for growth and "will never be that good" is idiotic.

 

[Ricelund]

Zadina’s 21. He’s played just about a full regular season in his career - 15G 22A 37P (.43 PPG) in his first 86 games on some god awful teams. That’s really not bad. He has plenty of time to improve.

Kakko - 19G 21A 40P in 114 GP (.35 PPG)
Hughes - 18G 34A 52P in 116 GP (.45 PPG)
Lafreniere - 12G 9A 21P in 56 GP (.38 PPG)

 

[MBH]

Vrana
16 goals in first 94 games
Zadina
15 goals in first 86 games

Talking as if Zadina has no more room for growth and "will never be that good" is idiotic.

Zadina does have room for growth.
But no, he'll never have Vrana's goal-scoring ability.
He'll never skate that well and he doesn't have the shot or release.

 

[lilidk]

The f***?

I believe Blashill killing him, Zadina looks frustrated. I am also very high on Niederbach and I like to see Soderblom - Niederbach- Zadina.

 

[MBH]

Zadina’s 21. He’s played just about a full regular season in his career - 15G 22A 37P in his first 86 games on some god awful teams. That’s really not bad. He has plenty of time to improve.

Improve? Yes.
Nobody thinks he won't improve.
Goal scoring, you can't do much worse.

His goals/60 clocked in at .27.
Brome, Nielsen, Helm and Rasmussen were worse.

Out of 300 NHL forwards with 450 minutes at 5 on 5, Zadina was 17th worst in the NHL.
283 out of 300.

I honestly don't ever see him being some big NHL sniper, or even Vrana/Mantha level.

But I do think he should eventually be a quality top 6er.

Still doesn't change the regression he showed this year.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

I believe Blashill killing him, Zadina looks frustrated. I am also very high on Niederbach and I like to see Soderblom - Niederbach- Zadina.

Sending guys with 2 years NHL time to a foreign league is always a good sign of where their career is headed.

Zadina benefits nothing from this, Detroit benefits nothing from this, and as we saw with Raymond, Frolunda is not a good place for you to go to be, "The guy".

 

[ThankGord]

I believe Blashill killing him, Zadina looks frustrated. I am also very high on Niederbach and I like to see Soderblom - Niederbach- Zadina.

You want to loan Zadina to Frolunda next season?

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

If Blashill is kept past this season, I think it has to be taken as Yzerman accepting that everyone from the Holland era has to go.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Larkin and Bertuzzi gone within the next season or two if Blashill stays and Yzerman decides to burn it to the ground.

 

[BinCookin]

A lot of the grading is done on expectations.

But without throwing out letters (which means little to me).. I can say this.

Players who impressed me:

Vrana (what a nice add)
Bertuzzi (In his 7 games, he continued to play well)
Erne (great production in the bottom 6)
Bernier//Greiss... By years end, I thought our goalie tandem was the only thing keeping us in games.

Many of our players are still young. I will not judge them too harshly until they get to around 23-24 years old.

P.S. we should really stop worrying about WHERE players were drafted. It really makes no difference in the end.
I don't care if Rasmussen is a "shitty 9th OA pick". I want to know if he can play in the NHL for our team.
In regards to draft position, it matters only for guessing how good someone should be.
I think maybe our experience with Seider should show us all how much this matters.
-first we think we screwed up. Then we think we win.
-I honestly refuse to really judge him till he has had at least 2-3 seasons in the NHL.

But promising young futures is nice.

Development and how these kids turn out is 100% determining how good a team we will be.

 

[SoupGuru]

I'll rank against expectations and my perceptions at the end of the year, which may be different than looking at the whole year objectively.

Hronek C Had to play a lot of hard minutes but still is pretty bad in his own zone. Racked up secondary assists but also inept on the PP.
Larkin C A year of frustration and not dealing with adversity very well.
Mantha D+ Good riddance
Erne A+ Brought energy since the beginning of the year and then the offense came later. Really contributed to making the 4th line a force.
Zadina C- I don't get it. Shows flashes of hands and passing ability. Being a triggerman on the PP was a terrible idea. Needs to simplify his game.
Fabbri A Finds a way to score goals. Knows where to be.
Namestnikov C- Another one I don't get. Not sure what role he's supposed to be filling.
Filppula B- I honestly wasn't expecting much from him but he had a quietly steady season. Did his job as a mentor.
Glendening A Was expecting him to continue being a steady force but didn't expect improvement this season. Faceoff monster, offensive contributor, wearing the A as a leader.
Sam Gagner D Found offense for one game. Inept all others.
Bobby Ryan A Made an impact every shift. Consistent effort. He was a question coming in and completely dispelled any doubts.
Dekeyser B+ Looked done when he was scratched. Came back and kept getting better. Tied for plus/minus lead
Rasmussen C Looked lost early. Looked competent later. Can't find offense. I don't get him. Has a beard and a nasty glare - does that count for something?
Vrana A+ Holy crap, someone that can score goals. What a refreshing set of skills.
Djoos D- A trainwreck in his own zone. A little shake and bake in the o-zone but wow, not able to put a complete game together.
Stecher C- Looked decent early but getting consistently overwhelmed later. Chips in offensively and is tenacious but seems outclassed most nights.
Staal A+ Relative to expectations, wow. I didn't think we were getting a roster player but he's got gumption and a spark still.
Svechnikov D Was expecting him to break out. He didn't. At all. There was maybe one game where he looked dangerous.
Helm C+ Plays a part in a great 4th line. Offense negligible but his drive is infectious. Thought he might be a complete non-factor this year but not quite yet.
Nemeth C- Looked much worse than last year. Maybe his heart wasn't in it.
Bertuzzi INC
Nielsen D Not sure what he's supposed to be doing for us
Merrill B Relaible, solid, not flashy
Smith B- Brought energy with his shifts but not much else
Panik C+ Seems to fit in well in a checking role. Shows flashes of offensive capabilities.
Lindstrom B Good positioning, IQ. Plays a little feistier than I expected. Seems to be learning from his ice time.
Biega D Just, no.
Cholowski C Defense has gotten better, offense still missing. I just don't see a spark there.
Brome D- Swing and a miss
Bernier A Better than anyone had a right to expect
Greiss B Rough start but found his game and the team started supporting him