2020–21 Detroit Red Wings season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2020–21
Year:	2020
Team:	Detroit Red Wings
Division:	Central
Divisionrank:	7th
Record:	19–27–10
Homerecord:	12–11–5
Roadrecord:	7–16–5
Goalsfor:	127
Goalsagainst:	171
Generalmanager:	Steve Yzerman
Coach:	Jeff Blashill
Captain:	Dylan Larkin
Altcaptain:	Luke Glendening Frans Nielsen
Arena:	Little Caesars Arena
Minorleague:	Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) Toledo Walleye (ECHL)
Goalsleader:	Adam Erne (11)
Assistsleader:	Filip Hronek (24)
Pointsleader:	Filip Hronek (26)
Plusminusleader:	Danny DeKeyser Robby Fabbri Luke Glendening (+3)
Pimleader:	Dylan Larkin (34)
Winsleader:	Jonathan Bernier (9)
Gaaleader:	Thomas Greiss (2.70)

The 2020–21 Detroit Red Wings season was the 95th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on September 25, 1926.^[1] It was the Red Wings' fourth season at Little Caesars Arena.

On December 20, 2020, the league temporarily realigned into four divisions with no conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing closure of the Canada–United States border. As a result of this realignment the Red Wings returned to the Central Division for the first time since 2012–13 and only played games against the other teams in their new division during the regular season.

On April 26, the Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season, after the Nashville Predators defeated the Florida Panthers.^[2]

Standings

Divisional standings

Schedule and results

Regular season

2020–21 game log 19–27–10 (Home: 12–11–5; Road: 7–16–5)^[3]
January: 2–6–2 (Home: 2–3–1 ; Road: 0–3–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 January 14 3–0 Detroit 0 0–1–0 0 ^[4] 2 January 16 Carolina 2–4 Detroit 0 1–1–0 2 ^[5] 3 January 18 3–2 Detroit Greiss 0 1–2–0 2 ^[6] 4 January 19 Columbus 2–3 Detroit OT Bernier 0 2–2–0 4 ^[7] 5 January 22 Detroit 1–4 Greiss 0 2–3–0 4 ^[8] 6 January 24 Detroit 2–6 Chicago Bernier 0 2–4–0 4 ^[9] 7 January 26 Detroit 1–2 OT Greiss 4,109 2–4–1 5 ^[10] 8 January 28 Detroit 3–7 Dallas Greiss 4,214 2–5–1 5 ^[11] 9 January 30 3–2 Detroit OT Greiss 0 2–5–2 6 ^[12] 10 January 31 Florida 3–2 Detroit Greiss 0 2–6–2 6 ^[13]
February: 5–8–1 (Home: 2–3–1 ; Road: 3–5–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 11 February 3 Detroit 1–5 0 2–7–2 6 ^[14] 12 February 5 Detroit 1–3 Tampa Bay Greiss 0 2–8–2 6 ^[15] 13 February 7 Detroit 4–1 Greiss 3,706 3–8–2 8 ^[16] 14 February 9 Detroit 1–2 Florida Greiss 3,477 3–9–2 8 ^[17] 15 February 11 Detroit 2–3 Greiss 0 3–10–2 8 ^[18] 16 February 13 Detroit 4–2 Nashville 0 4–10–2 10 ^[19] 17 February 15 3–2 Detroit OT Greiss 0 4–10–3 11 ^[20] 18 February 17 Chicago 2–0 Detroit Bernier 0 4–11–3 11 ^[21] 19 February 19 Florida 7–2 Detroit Greiss 0 4–12–3 11 ^[22] 20 February 20 Florida 1–2 Detroit Bernier 0 5–12–3 13 ^[23] 21 February 23 Nashville 2–0 Detroit Bernier 0 5–13–3 13 ^[24] 22 February 25 Nashville 2–5 Detroit Bernier 0 6–13–3 15 ^[25] 23 February 27 Detroit 5–3 Chicago Bernier 0 7–13–3 17 ^[26] 24 February 28 Detroit 2–7 Chicago Greiss 0 7–14–3 17 ^[27]
March: 5–7–1 (Home: 5–2–1 ; Road: 0–5–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 March 2 Detroit 1–4 1,953 7–15–3 17 ^[28] 26 March 4 Detroit 2–5 Bernier 2,924 7–16–3 17 ^[29] 27 March 9 4–3 Detroit OT 0 7–16–4 18 ^[30] 28 March 11 Tampa Bay 4–6 Detroit Bernier 0 8–16–4 20 ^[31] 29 March 14 Carolina 2–1 Detroit Bernier 0 8–17–4 20 ^[32] 30 March 16 Carolina 2–4 Detroit Bernier 0 9–17–4 22 ^[33] 31 March 18 2–3 Detroit Greiss 0 10–17–4 24 ^[34] 32 March 20 Dallas 3–0 Detroit Greiss 0 10–18–4 24 ^[35] 33 March 23 Detroit 0–2 Greiss — 10–19–4 24 ^[36] 34 March 25 Detroit 1–7 Nashville — 10–20–4 24 ^[37] 35 March 27 Columbus 1–3 Detroit Pickard 0 11–20–4 26 ^[38] 36 March 28 Columbus 1–4 Detroit Pickard 0 12–20–4 28 ^[39] 37 March 30 Detroit 1–4 Florida Pickard 4,321 12–21–4 28 ^[40]
April: 5–5–5 (Home: 2–2–2 ; Road: 3–3–3) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 38 April 1 Detroit 2–3 OT 4,359 12–21–5 29 ^[41] 39 April 3 Detroit 1–2 Greiss 3,800 12–22–5 29 ^[42] 40 April 4 Detroit 5–1 Tampa Bay Greiss 3,800 13–22–5 31 ^[43] 41 April 6 3–2 Detroit SO Greiss 0 13–22–6 32 ^[44] 42 April 8 Nashville 7–1 Detroit 0 13–23–6 32 ^[45] 43 April 10 Detroit 5–4 SO Greiss 4,987 14–23–6 34 ^[46] 44 April 12 Detroit 3–1 Carolina Bernier 4,987 15–23–6 36 ^[47] 45 April 15 1–4 Detroit Greiss 0 16–23–6 38 ^[48] 46 April 17 Chicago 4–0 Detroit Bernier 0 16–24–6 38 ^[49] 47 April 19 Detroit 2–3 SO Greiss 4,812 16–24–7 39 ^[50] 48 April 20 Detroit 2–5 Dallas Bernier 5,148 16–25–7 39 ^[51] 49 April 22 Dallas 3–7 Detroit Greiss 0 17–25–7 41 ^[52] 50 April 24 Dallas 2–1 Detroit OT Bernier 0 17–25–8 42 ^[53] 51 April 27 Detroit 0–1 SO Greiss 4,316 17–25–9 43 ^[54] 52 April 29 Detroit 1–3 Carolina Bernier 4,987 17–26–9 43 ^[55]
May: 2–1–1 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 1–0–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 53 May 1 0–1 Detroit SO 0 18–26–9 45 ^[56] 54 May 2 Tampa Bay 2–1 Detroit 0 18–27–9 45 ^[57] 55 May 7 Detroit 5–2 Greiss 4,402 19–27–9 47 ^[58] 56 May 8 Detroit 4–5 Columbus OT 4,493 19–27–10 48 ^[59] Legend:

Awards and honours

Awards

Regular season

Player	Award	data-sort-type="date"	Awarded
	NHL First Star of the Week	May 3, 2021^[60]

Milestones

Regular season

Player	Milestone	data-sort-type="date"	Reached
	200th career NHL game	January 14, 2021
	900th career NHL game	January 22, 2021
	900th career NHL game	January 28, 2021
	700th career NHL game	January 30, 2021
	400th career NHL game	February 3, 2021
	300th career NHL game	February 9, 2021
	300th career NHL assist	March 11, 2021
	300th career NHL game	March 18, 2021
	300th career NHL game	April 8, 2021
	100th career NHL assist	April 15, 2021

Transactions

The Red Wings have been involved in the following transactions during the 2020–21 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
	To New York Islanders Dmytro Timashov	To Detroit Red Wings Future considerations	^[61]
	To Colorado Avalanche Patrik Nemeth	To Detroit Red Wings 4th-round pick in 2022	^[62]
	To Columbus Blue Jackets Brian Lashoff	To Detroit Red Wings David Savard	^[63]
	To Tampa Bay Lightning David Savard	To Detroit Red Wings 4th-round pick in 2021
	To Montreal Canadiens Jon Merrill	To Detroit Red Wings Hayden Verbeek 5th-round pick in 2021	^[64]
	To Washington Capitals Anthony Mantha	To Detroit Red Wings Richard Panik Jakub Vrana 1st-round pick in 2021 2nd-round pick in 2022	^[65]

Free agents

Date	Player	Team	Contract term	Ref
			1-year	^[66]
			1-year	^[67]
			2-year	^[68]
			1-year
			1-year
			2-year	^[69]
			2-year	^[70]
			2-year	^[71]

Signings

Date	Player	Contract term	Ref
		1-year	^[74]
		4-year	^[75]

Draft picks

See also: List of Detroit Red Wings draft picks. Below are the Detroit Red Wings' selections at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on October 6 and 7, 2020, via video conference call due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	4	Lucas Raymond	LW		Frölunda HC (SHL)
2	32	William Wallinder	D		Modo J20 (J20 SuperElit)
2	51	Theodor Niederbach	C		Frölunda J20 (J20 SuperElit)
2	55	Cross Hanas	LW		Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
3	63	Donovan Sebrango	D		Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
3	70	Eemil Viro	D		TPS (Liiga)
4	97	Sam Stange	RW		Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
4	107^1	Jan Bednar	G		HC Baník Sokolov (Czech 2.liga)
5	132	Alex Cotton	D		Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
6	156	Kyle Aucoin	D		Tri-City Storm (USHL)
7	187	Kienan Draper	RW		Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)
7	203	Chase Bradley	LW		Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)

Notes:

1. The Edmonton Oilers' fourth-round pick went to the Detroit Red Wings as the result of a trade on February 23, 2020, that sent Mike Green to Edmonton in exchange for Kyle Brodziak and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).^[76]

Notes and References

1. Book: National Hockey League. The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2014. 2013. Diamond Sports Data, Inc.. 57. 978-1-894801-26-3.
2. Web site: Red Wings miss playoffs, lack of offence among reasons . NHL.com . June 5, 2021 . April 27, 2021.
3. Web site: Red Wings release 2020-21 season schedule . NHL.com . January 2, 2021 . December 23, 2020.
4. Web site: Carolina Hurricanes - Detroit Red Wings - January 14th, 2021. NHL.com.
5. Web site: Carolina Hurricanes - Detroit Red Wings - January 16th, 2021. NHL.com.
6. Web site: Columbus Blue Jackets - Detroit Red Wings - January 18th, 2021. NHL.com.
7. Web site: Columbus Blue Jackets - Detroit Red Wings - January 19th, 2021. NHL.com.
8. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Chicago Blackhawks - January 22nd, 2021. NHL.com.
9. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Chicago Blackhawks - January 24th, 2021. NHL.com.
10. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Dallas Stars - January 26th, 2021. NHL.com.
11. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Dallas Stars - January 28th, 2021. NHL.com.
12. Web site: Florida Panthers - Detroit Red Wings - January 30th, 2021. NHL.com.
13. Web site: Florida Panthers - Detroit Red Wings - January 31st, 2021. NHL.com.
14. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Tampa Bay Lightning - February 3rd, 2021. NHL.com.
15. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Tampa Bay Lightning - February 5th, 2021. NHL.com.
16. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Florida Panthers - February 7th, 2021. NHL.com.
17. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Florida Panthers - February 9th, 2021. NHL.com.
18. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Nashville Predators - February 11th, 2021. NHL.com.
19. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Nashville Predators - February 13th, 2021. NHL.com.
20. Web site: Chicago Blackhawks - Detroit Red Wings - February 15th, 2021. NHL.com.
21. Web site: Chicago Blackhawks - Detroit Red Wings - February 17th, 2021. NHL.com.
22. Web site: Florida Panthers - Detroit Red Wings - February 19th, 2021. NHL.com.
23. Web site: Florida Panthers - Detroit Red Wings - February 20th, 2021. NHL.com.
24. Web site: Nashville Predators - Detroit Red Wings - February 23rd, 2021. NHL.com.
25. Web site: Nashville Predators - Detroit Red Wings - February 25th, 2021. NHL.com.
26. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Chicago Blackhawks - February 27th, 2021. NHL.com.
27. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Chicago Blackhawks - February 28th, 2021. NHL.com.
28. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Columbus Blue Jackets - March 2nd, 2021. NHL.com.
29. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Carolina Hurricanes - March 4th, 2021. NHL.com.
30. Web site: Tampa Bay Lightning - Detroit Red Wings - March 9th, 2021. NHL.com.
31. Web site: Tampa Bay Lightning - Detroit Red Wings - March 11th, 2021. NHL.com.
32. Web site: Carolina Hurricanes - Detroit Red Wings - March 14th, 2021. NHL.com.
33. Web site: Carolina Hurricanes - Detroit Red Wings - March 16th, 2021. NHL.com.
34. Web site: Dallas Stars - Detroit Red Wings - March 18th, 2021. NHL.com.
35. Web site: Dallas Stars - Detroit Red Wings - March 20th, 2021. NHL.com.
36. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Nashville Predators - March 23rd, 2021. NHL.com.
37. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Nashville Predators - March 25th, 2021. NHL.com.
38. Web site: Columbus Blue Jackets - Detroit Red Wings - March 27th, 2021. NHL.com.
39. Web site: Columbus Blue Jackets - Detroit Red Wings - March 28th, 2021. NHL.com.
40. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Florida Panthers - March 30th, 2021. NHL.com.
41. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Florida Panthers - April 1st, 2021. NHL.com.
42. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Tampa Bay Lightning - April 3rd, 2021. NHL.com.
43. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Tampa Bay Lightning - April 4th, 2021. NHL.com.
44. Web site: Nashville Predators - Detroit Red Wings - April 6th, 2021. NHL.com.
45. Web site: Nashville Predators - Detroit Red Wings - April 8th, 2021. NHL.com.
46. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Carolina Hurricanes - April 10th, 2021. NHL.com.
47. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Carolina Hurricanes - April 12th, 2021. NHL.com.
48. Web site: Chicago Blackhawks - Detroit Red Wings - April 15th, 2021. NHL.com.
49. Web site: Chicago Blackhawks - Detroit Red Wings - April 17th, 2021. NHL.com.
50. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Dallas Stars - April 19th, 2021. NHL.com.
51. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Dallas Stars - April 20th, 2021. NHL.com.
52. Web site: Dallas Stars - Detroit Red Wings - April 22nd, 2021. NHL.com.
53. Web site: Dallas Stars - Detroit Red Wings - April 24th, 2021. NHL.com.
54. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Columbus Blue Jackets - April 27th, 2021. NHL.com.
55. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Carolina Hurricanes - April 29th, 2021. NHL.com.
56. Web site: Tampa Bay Lightning - Detroit Red Wings - May 1st, 2021. NHL.com.
57. Web site: Tampa Bay Lightning - Detroit Red Wings - May 2nd, 2021. NHL.com.
58. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Columbus Blue Jackets - May 7th, 2021. NHL.com.
59. Web site: Detroit Red Wings - Columbus Blue Jackets - May 8th, 2021. NHL.com.
60. Web site: Greiss of Red Wings, pharmacy director NHL First Stars of Week . NHL.com . May 3, 2021 . May 3, 2021.
61. Web site: Red Wings trade rights to Timashov to Islanders for future considerations . NHL.com . Kyle . Kujawa . December 11, 2020 . December 11, 2020.
62. Web site: Red Wings acquire 2022 4th-round pick from Avalanche for Patrik Nemeth . NHL.com . Kyle . Kujawa . April 9, 2021 . April 10, 2021.
63. Web site: Detroit completes three-team trade with Columbus and Tampa Bay . NHL.com . Kyle . Kujawa . April 10, 2021 . April 10, 2021.
64. Web site: Merrill traded to Canadiens by Red Wings . NHL.com . Tim . Campbell . April 11, 2021 . April 11, 2021.
65. Web site: Red Wings acquire Vrana, Panik, 1st and 2nd Rounders from Caps for Mantha . NHL.com . Kyle . Kujawa . April 12, 2021 . April 12, 2021.
66. Web site: Red Wings agree to one-year deal with Bobby Ryan . Kyle . Kujawa . Detroit Red Wings . October 9, 2020 . October 9, 2020.
67. Web site: Detroit, Jon Merrill reach one-year agreement . Kyle . Kujawa . Detroit Red Wings . October 9, 2020 . October 9, 2020.
68. Web site: Red Wings add Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo and Kevin Boyle . Detroit Red Wings . Kyle . Kujawa . October 9, 2020 . October 9, 2020.
69. Web site: Red Wings agree to terms with free agent goaltender Thomas Greiss. Kyle. Kujawa. Detroit Red Wings. October 10, 2020. October 10, 2020.
70. Web site: Detroit adds defenseman Troy Stecher . Kyle . Kujawa . Detroit Red Wings . October 10, 2020 . October 10, 2020.
71. Web site: Namestnikov agrees to terms with Detroit . Kyle . Kujawa . Detroit Red Wings . October 11, 2020 . October 11, 2020.
72. Web site: Red Wings waive Justin Abdelkader in order to buy him out . Ted . Kulfan . The Detroit News . October 6, 2020 . October 6, 2020.
73. Web site: Daley retires as player, joins Penguins as hockey operations adviser . NHL.com . October 26, 2020. October 26, 2020.
74. Web site: Bertuzzi gets one-year, $3.5M contract with Red Wings from arbitrator. NHL.com. October 28, 2020. October 28, 2020.
75. Web site: Red Wings sign Anthony Mantha to four-year deal . NHL.com . Kyle . Kujawa . November 3, 2020 . November 3, 2020.
76. Web site: RELEASE: Oilers acquire Mike Green from Red Wings. February 23, 2020. September 29, 2020.