Detroit Red Wings: Grading the Forwards 2019-20 Performances
By Tyler Kotila
The third grouping of Detroit Red Wings forwards is two veterans in Luke Glendening and Darren Helm, also included is former College signee, Taro Hirose.
Luke Glendening, Grade: B
The Detroit Red Wings defensive game was an absolute disaster, and as Luke Glendening is known for his defense, it was not all his fault. The reason he deserves a “B” stems from his ability to do many different things for the team. Glendening may have only hit the scoresheet nine times with six goals and three assists, but his presence on the ice in other ways shows his contributions.
Glendening is all over the ice, whether it be in the defensive zone, on the forecheck, or killing penalties. His other use on the Red Wings is in the face-off dot where he thrived this season for the Red Wings, winning 56.1% of the draws he would take. He is not a top-six forward with the lack of production, but he has found ways to make an impact on this rebuilding team.
Darren Helm, Grade: C
The short and sweet way to say it with Helm is that he has diminished over the years. Helm has evolved into more of a role-playing centerman who can win draws for the Red Wings. He scored nine goals and nabbed seven assists for a total of sixteen assists on the season. He also was only a minus-six on the season, which was the best on the team among players who played in more than twenty-five games.
Taro Hirose, Grade: F
Going into the 2019-20 season, it seemed that Taro Hirose was poised for a breakout season with the Detroit Red Wings, Ultimately he would not perform and spend stints in the minors for most of the season only seeing the ice with the Red Wings in twenty-six games on the season. He would pot two goals and grab five assists for seven total points on the season.
The issue with Hirose was his inability to make things happen on the ice; he appeared that he would have the ability to thrive on the second line alongside Andreas Athanasiou going into the year. Hirose would fail to do so and end up being sent down to the minors after struggling to make things happen at the NHL level.