Detroit Red Wings: Grading the Forwards 2019-20 Performances

The final grouping of Detroit Red Wings forwards is a failed resurgence in Brendan Perlini, alongside two youngsters in Givani Smith and Filip Zadina.

Brendan Perlini, Grade: F

The Detroit Red Wings traded for Brendan Perlini, sacrificing Alec Regula in a similar ploy to hope a change of scenery would create a resurgence for Perlini. Sadly, Perlini would not experience a resurgence, and he would play in thirty-nine games, only scoring one goal and tallying three assists.

He was a minus-eighteen rating on the season and just really struggled to get things going offensively. He was the opposite of Fabbri, who was able to find a new home and emerge as a second-line winger who finds the back of the net.

Givani Smith, Grade: B

It is hard to just hand out an “A” to a player who only played in twenty-one games in the NHL this season, but his play warrants a “B” for sure. Givani Smith would only pot two goals and one assist while at the NHL level, but his net-front presence and physical style of play looked good on display for the Red Wings.

Smith brings life to whatever line he is playing on, thriving as a net-front guy who cleans up rebounds, gets some tip-ins, and will find himself occasionally chipping a goal in. He may not be an NHL ready talent yet, but some of his skill set was on display during his twenty-one games this year.

Filip Zadina, Grade: A

The 2018 NHL Entry Draft first-rounder got twenty-eight games in with the Detroit Red Wings win 2019-20 and was dealing with an injury before the season was paused. In those twenty-eight games, Filip Zadina would score eight goals and add seven assists for fifteen total points on the season.

One of the things that Zadina did well showed his offensive ability, finding ways to get pucks to the net. He also showcased his shot on several occasions, which looked quite good for the Red Wings. He has plenty of time to keep getting better, but his skill set he showed before the injury was excellent.