What a year. The Detroit Red Wings played 30 games in 2020, their season destined for a low point in the latest rebuild even before the NHL succumbed to the pandemic and paused the 2019-20 season with roughly three weeks to go.
During a challenging year, there were reasons for optimism. It was hard to tell while the Wings were in action, as they were the only team to have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs when the league shut down March 12. Two days earlier, the Wings had ensured they would finish at the bottom of the standings when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes.