The best and worst Red Wings of the 2019-20 season: Our awards

The Detroit Red Wings’ season was postponed one game after they assured they’d finish where they belong: At the bottom of the standings.

The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered professional and amateur sports leagues, with the NHL putting the 2019-20 season on pause March 12. The league and players association are mulling scenarios for a possible return, though based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising against public gatherings of more than 50 people through at least the first week of May — and the general uncertainty sparked by the COVID-19 crisis — cancellation is a possibility.

It’s moot for the Wings, who at 17-49-5 will finish 31st. It has been bleak with few bright spots, and that is reflected in a look back at this very un-award winning season:

Best defenseman

Filip Hronek: The Wings had so many injuries on the back end that they rolled through 14 defensemen. Their top defender, Danny DeKeyser, was lost to a back injury eight games into the season (it speaks to how bad their defense is that DeKeyser still ranks seventh in scoring among team defensemen with four points). Hronek was cast into a larger role than planned because of the DeKeyser injury, and largely handled the burden well. Hronek led team defensemen in average power play minutes and shorthanded minutes per game (both 2:53) and led all skaters with in average ice time (23:54). He was second on the team with 74 blocked shots, and fourth with 125 shots. Hronek makes smart plays with the puck, doesn’t panic, and plays with bite. And he’s only 22 and has played in 111 career games.

[Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman as coronavirus pandemic halts NHL]

Most disappointing defenseman

Dennis Cholowski: Veterans Trevor Daley (seven assists, minus-22 in 43 games) and Mike Green (11 points, minus-32 in 48 games before being traded to Edmonton) disappointed, but they aren’t part of the team’s future and both struggled with health. It’s Cholowski (eight points, minus-26 in 36 games) who disappointed the most — he seemed like he was off to a good start, but while he’s a good skater and can move the puck, he didn’t show the assertiveness the coaching staff — and general manager Steve Yzerman — has urged him to play with. Cholowski, 22, is from the same draft as Hronek (2016) and was drafted in the first round (20th overall), but he had a chance to show he belongs in the lineup this season and failed to do so.

Most Valuable Player

Jonathan Bernier: He gave the Wings a chance to win most nights, especially since Dec. 15 (.915 save percentage, 2.72 goals-against average in 23 games). With Jimmy Howard having such a poor season (.882 save percentage, 4.20 GAA in 27 games; last victory was Oct. 29), Bernier started or appeared in 18 of the last 19 games. The Wings’ minus-122 goal differential is the worst in the NHL by minus-70 (Ottawa checks in at minus-52), but it would be even worse if not for Bernier.

Best all-around forward

Dylan Larkin: He’s the face of the rebuild, acknowledges when he doesn’t play to expectations and has faced the media after games more than any teammates. When the NHL paused the season, Larkin led the Wings with 53 points in 71 games (he and Tyler Bertuzzi were the only skaters to not have missed a game). Larkin plays both special teams, and plays in all situations. This is the guy who has earned the right to be the next captain.

Best defensive forward

Darren Helm: He deserves recognition for having a minus-6 rating on a team in which all of the other forwards who appeared in at least 45 games are in double digits. Helm’s production (nine goals, seven assists in 68 games) is respectable considering he plays in the bottom six and averages 13:44 in ice time, 1:39 of which is shorthanded time.

Most disappointing forward(s)

Abdelkader, Nielsen, Filppula: A group award that goes to Justin Abdelkader (three assists, minus-14 in 49 games against $4.25 million salary cap hit), Frans Nielsen (nine points, minus-13 in 60 games against $5.25 million cap hit) and Valtteri Filppula (21 points, minus-42 in 70 games against $3 million cap hit). I anticipate Nielsen and Filppula will still play in Detroit next season, because they can still skate/take faceoffs/kill penalties, but Abdelkader will be waived and sent to Grand Rapids.

[Red Wings will do anything to stay in shape during coronavirus crisis]

Top rookie

Filip Zadina: From his season debut Nov. 24 until an ankle injury sidelined him Feb. 1, Zadina was third on the team with 15 points in 28 games. He was making plays and finishing them, and using the strength he’d gained from two seasons in the Wings’ system to look more like the player the Wings hoped they drafted at sixth overall in 2018.

Brightest stretch

That mirage of a 3-1 start in which the Wings won at Nashville, against Dallas and at Montreal. It turned out beating the Canadiens was the only reliable measure, as the Wings went 4-0 in the season series.

Bleakest stretch

The Wings followed up opening week with an 1-11-1 stretch that plunged them to 30th place. They never rose higher the rest of the season, and guaranteed finishing 31st when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 10.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.