from Max Bultman of The Athletic,

There were, though, a handful of players who either surpassed or fell short of expectations. And so with our bodies now biologically wired to expect some season reflection at this time of year, that felt like a good place to start, even with the season still technically hanging in the balance.

Undershot expectations

Dennis Cholowski: For most of the players in this category, there’s an air (or at least risk) of finality to these underwhelming seasons. That’s not the case with Cholowski, whose tough season at age 21 came with plenty of time to develop.

Still, it wasn’t the showing expected of Cholowski when he made the Red Wings out of camp for the second straight year. This time, the idea was he’d stick around for the full season. But familiar issues in the defensive zone arose, and Cholowski wound up back in Grand Rapids for much of the second half of the season.

I do know the Red Wings felt they were starting to see defensive progress from Cholowski. And oftentimes, focusing on that end of the ice can limit a player’s offensive impact, which will ultimately be how Cholowski makes his name. That’s important to remember as well.

Every prospect develops on a different schedule. But Cholowski could have helped the Red Wings by taking the next step this season, especially considering their power-play needs, and it didn’t happen. He has more time, but he’s going to have to show he can be counted on in his own end without sacrificing his offensive calling card.

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