Alexey Marchenko entered the season as a 23 year old right shooting defensman playing in an RFA contract year and looking at the AHL. He quickly earned an NHL call-up when Kyle Quincey was injured in late October and almost cemented a permanent spot in the NHL lineup.
A point brought up less than I expected this year was that Marchenko played well enough to stop the Wings from doing much shuffling with the other near-ripe prospects in XO, Sproul, Russo and Jensen. To me, that speaks volumes.
Marchenko saw time next to numerous defensive partners, which instead of hurting his game, showcased his ability to be the steady safety-net we all hoped he would be.