Mike-Babcock-4-26-14

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock gives instructions during Game 5 vs. Boston as Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson, Tomas Tatar and Henrik Zetterberg look on.

(The Associated Press)

DETROIT – This was no ordinary season for the Detroit Red Wings.

The team lost 421 man-games to injury, its most since the statistic was first tracked in 1985-86.

As a result, the Red Wings used 38 players, the most they have gone through in one season since 1991-92.

Their leading scorers finished with 49 points, the fewest for the franchise leader in a non-lockout shortened season since 1946. They had only one 20-goal scorer.

It was an unconventional year.

They still managed to extend their playoff streak to 23 seasons, the fifth longest run in NHL history.

They didn’t put up as much resistance as they anticipated against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the first round, bowing out in five games.

Next season, they’re setting their sights on doing better than just making the playoffs.

But for now, here is an individual look back on 2013-14 with player grades, which are based on expectation (mine) vs. performance. This includes players who spent most of the season in Detroit.

Only the regular season was taken into account, since the playoffs were too small a sample size and most would receive a below average mark.

Forwards

Justin Abdelkader (B): The team's most consistent physical presence led the way with 172 hits and has cut down on penalties the past two seasons. He does the dirty work for his line's skilled players, going to the hard areas and retrieving pucks. He had a career-high 28 points.

Contract: Two years remaining at a salary-cap hit of $1.8 million.

Daniel Alfredsson (A-): He made much more of an impact than most players in their late 30s or early 40s, tying for the team lead with 49 points in just 68 games. The power play underachieved, but Alfredsson did his part with 18 points on the man-advantage.

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Joakim Andersson (C): A bit of a sophomore slump for this checker and penalty killer, who wasn't as solid defensively (minus-11) and dipped below Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening on the depth chart.

Contract: One year at $732,500 cap hit.

Todd Bertuzzi (C): Relatively healthy after missing almost the entire season with a back injury, his role diminished as younger players stepped up. Effective on the power play as net-front presence (six goals), but not much impact at even strength and finished a team-worst minus-17.

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Daniel Cleary (D): He was excited to return after it appeared he was gone but he struggled from the start and never found his game, finishing with four goals and eight points in 52 games. A knee injury effectively ended his season in late January.

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Pavel Datsyuk (A-): He essentially missed the second half of the season with a knee issue. When healthy, he's still one of the premier two-way forwards in the league (37 points, team-best 59 takeaways in 45 games).

Contract: Three years at $7.5 million cap hit.

Johan Franzen (C): It was another season of extremes for the club's most streaky, enigmatic player. When he was on, he was really good (29 points in 23 games from Nov. 12 to March 7). When he was off, he was invisible (one goal, seven points in final 18 games).

Contract: Six years at $3.95 million cap hit.

Luke Glendening (B-): His work ethic, grittiness, skating ability and defensive play earned him the fourth-line center spot in mid-December and he never relinquished it. He won't score much at this level but needs to provide more than one goal in 56 games. He also needs to improve in the faceoff circle.

Contract: Three years at $628,333 cap hit.

Darren Helm (B+): He was sorely missed during an injury-plagued 20-month stretch in which he appeared in just two games. He still had trouble staying healthy, but made his presence felt when in the lineup. He equaled his career-high with 12 goals, in just 42 games, and continued pressuring opponents with his speed and tenacity.

Contract: Two years at $2.125 million cap hit.

Tomas Jurco (B): A talented player who is accustomed to dangling the puck and making skilled plays learned to be more gritty and physical as a rookie in the NHL. He delivered hits and went to the net. It paid dividends, with eight goals and 15 points in 36 games.

Contract: One year at $709,167 cap hit.

David Legwand (C): Acquired at the trade deadline, when the team was desperate for a center, he finished the season playing on the wing on the fourth line. He filled the center slot early on but didn't have that great an impact at either end of the ice (11 points, minus-9 in 21 games).

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Drew Miller (B): Reliable, durable grinder played all 82 games and was their best penalty-killing forward. He was their leading shot-blocker (63) among forwards, by a wide margin.

Contract: Two years at $1.35 million cap hit.

Tomas Tatar (21) and Gustav Nyquist were the Red Wings' top goal-scorers, providing hope for the future.

Gustav Nyquist (A): Better late than never, he came up from Grand Rapids in mid-November and was largely responsible for saving the season. His speed and finishing ability give him star potential. He had a tremendous stretch with 23 goals in 28 games and led the team with 28 goals. Consistency will come with experience. He must avoid the temptation to defer to veterans.

Contract: One year at $950,000 cap hit.

Mikael Samuelsson (D): He capped a dreadful two-year second stint in Detroit by picking up only one goal (in the season opener) and three points in 26 games. The club was counting on him, with his right-handed shot, to be a factor at the point on the power play, but it never happened.

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Riley Sheahan (A-): Pressed into service a year earlier than anticipated due to injuries, he filled the second-line center slot admirably the second half of the season. He demonstrated more offensive ability than expected (nine goals, 24 points in 42 games) and played well without the puck.

Contract: Restricted free agent.

Tomas Tatar (B+): He enjoyed a strong first full season with 19 goals and 39 points. He has terrific one-on-one moves in the open ice and good hands around the net. He'll never be a great defensive player but he must manage the puck better and cut down on turnovers.

Contract: Restricted free agent.

Stephen Weiss (D): It was a disastrous, injury-plagued season for the free-agent the club hoped would solidify its second-line center spot. He wasn't healthy from the start, struggled mightily (two goals, four points in 26 games) and didn't play after Dec. 10 due to a sports hernia. It can only get better next season.

Contract: Four years at $4.9 million cap hit.

Henrik Zetterberg (A): He got off to a strong start and was the team's MVP the first half of the season (48 points in 45 games) before back surgery shelved him for the rest of the regular season and the first three playoff games.

Contract: Seven years at $6.08 million cap hit.

Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser had a solid rookie season.

Defensemen

Danny DeKeyser (B+): A solid rookie season for a steady player who isn't flashy but gets the job done, moving the puck quickly and efficiently and playing strong positionally more often than not. He showed some offensive ability with 23 points in 65 games.

Contract: Restricted free agent.

Jonathan Ericsson (B): His absence was felt during three lengthy stretches with injuries, totaling 34 games (shoulder separation, broken ribs, torn tendon in finger).

Contract: Six years at $4.25 million cap hit.

Jakub Kindl (C-): Disappointing season for a player who appeared to blossom a year ago. His compete level wasn't where it should be and he seemed to lose confidence.

Contract: Three years at $2.4 million cap hit.

Niklas Kronwall (A): Injuries thrust him into an even more prominent role than before, and he met the challenge. He finished tied for the team scoring lead with 49 points. He played with three different defense partners and led the team in ice time and blocked shots.

Contract: Five years at $4.75 million cap hit.

Brian Lashoff (C+): The quintessential stay-at-home defenseman, he improved from minus-10 as a rookie to minus-2 and managed the puck better. He's one of those players who's at his best when he's not noticed.

Contract: Two years at $725,000 cap hit.

Kyle Quincey (B-): He was one of the team's most-improved players the second half of the season. He posted a minus-14 rating his first 41 games and a plus-9 his final 41 games. He was one of two players to appear in every game.

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Brendan Smith (C+): Getting paired with Kronwall after Ericsson was idled on March 18 helped settle down Smith. He's still a work in progress, taking too many risks with his penchant to join the rush and making too many dangerous passes.

Contract: One year at $1.26 million cap hit.

Goaltenders

Jonas Gustavsson (A-): Gave the team a chance to win almost every time they put him in, going 16-5-4 with a 2.63 goals-against average. He just can't stay healthy, however. He was out on five separate occasions, three times with groin issues.

Contract: Unrestricted free agent.

Jimmy Howard (C): He was too inconsistent for most of the season, following up strong efforts with mediocre performances. He experienced a three-month stretch from Nov. 4 to Feb. 2 where he didn't string together consecutive wins. He finished strong, going 7-3-1 in final 11 starts.

Contract: Five years at $5.29 million cap hit

Coaching

Mike Babcock and staff (B): Did well to guide team into the playoffs considering the spate of injuries, particularly to key players. Aided in the development of younger players who were prepared well in Grand Rapids. Substandard home record (18-13-10) and the inability to hang onto leads (minus-18 goal differential in the third period) were troublesome.