Notes: Helm has had steady, mostly healthy season

DETROIT - Very quietly, Red Wings forward Darren Helm has carved out a pretty nice season.
With 13 goals and 18 assists, Helm is just two points off his career best of 33 points, set during the 2014-15 season.

"Obviously, you always look at the way the team performs," Helm said after the team's optional practice at the BELFOR Training Center. "No one's happy with that. I thought obviously there were some ups and downs with my season, like most people, but I thought it was fairly consistent and like you said, right around my career high in points. It was all right. I always look back at things that could have been different or better, like most seasons. I thought it was all right."
Helm, 31, missed seven games this season, six of those coming in the Pittsburgh game right after the team's bye when his right leg got bent awkwardly.
But tests showed no structural damage and Helm has otherwise been fairly healthy the last few seasons.
"Definitely taken a different approach to the way I gotta do off-ice preparation," Helm said. "Even on ice, I listen to my body more, better. Last year was kind of a freak thing, to take a check like that and land awkwardly on my arm. I'm happy with the way my body's been holding up. It is a grind every year, but it is a fun grind. Definitely wouldn't be doing it if I didn't enjoy it."
Since the trip to California and Colorado, Helm has been on a line with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha.
"I think Helm's actually really helped that line," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "If you really look at when that line started to go, Helmer's just got that relentless approach on the forecheck. It gives them a little energy on that line. Obviously Larks is a big forechecker too, so it gives you two real good forecheckers there. He's a net presence guy. I think he's played real good hockey overall through the course of the year so he's been a good match on that line."
In his last five games, Helm has four goals and two assists.
Like many in the organization, Helm has been encouraged by the development of some of the young players.
"(Tyler Bertuzzi's) been great this year, coming in and doing what he does," Helm said. "There's been a lot of encouraging things with the younger guys, I think. I really like the way Larks has played this year. I think he's been one of our most consistent, hardest-working guys on the team. To see 60-plus points this year, he's done a great job and I've definitely enjoyed playing with him, too. Moe has doing a good job, too. That's what you need these days.
"I feel like a lot of teams have taken big strides, have had young guys that kind of came out of nowhere and jumped into a big role and been really successful. It's what you need to be successful and our young guys are in great spots for this organization."
It doesn't seem like that long ago that Helm was joining a Wings team that was in the Stanley Cup Finals and immediately making an impact with his speed.
Now Helm hopes the Wings aren't too far away from a return to the playoffs, always the best time of the year.
"I think about that quite a bit," Helm said. "I look at what we've done this year and how we've played. I feel like we were almost a better team this year than we were last year. We didn't get the results that we needed. I don't know if that's one player or guys just to be a little bit better. Luckily, I get to go out and just play. I don't have to make those big, tough decisions. I think we're close. I think we're maybe just missing one thing. I don't what it is but I'm definitely hoping we can figure that out and do what we need to do for next year."
Helm did not have to look far to figure out what his offseason plans will include.
Two of them sat on his lap in the dressing room, daughters Zoey and Rylee. The oldest, Reece, was playing with Jimmy Howard's younger son, Henry.
"Days off are full on days on for me," Helm said. "It's fun. They keep things very interesting. I'm always entertained. They're coming into their personalities and it's a lot of fun, the way they interact with each other and people. It's good."
OFF TO WORLDS: This year's world championships will be held in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark.
With the Wings' season wrapping up this Saturday, some of the players are looking to participate.
"I don't have a contract so I'd have to have a pretty good insurance setup and it could be expensive so I have to work out a deal with USA and we'll see," Larkin said. "Hopefully we can make it happen. I'm expecting we will."
Blashill and Larkin have both talked about how their time with Team USA last year helped them establish even more trust, which carried over into this season.
"I do enjoy that tournament. It's a fun tournament," Larkin said. "Time where it is about winning but it's also about enjoying the game, meeting the guys, bonding in a short period of time. I enjoy that part of it and traveling to different countries and playing hockey. I love playing on the big ice, you have the puck a ton, make a lot of plays. It would help to see who's going to go. Hopefully we have a good team and can get a chance to win it."
Last year, Larkin was joined by Howard and defenseman Danny DeKeyser.
"I enjoy playing in it," DeKeyser said. "If they call me, I'd have to think about it and see where I'm at. March was a long month on the road. I'll have to make a decision if they call me."
DeKeyser's wife, Melissa, gave birth to their first child, daughter McKinley Ann, at the end of February and he might opt to stay home to spend time with them.
Martin Frk is up for joining Team Czech Republic.
"I told (Jiri Fischer), talked to me and I said I would love to play more hockey, so I told him I want to go," Frk said. "Now I just got to go talk to him again. He wants me for some European hockey tours in Czech. They're coming up in a couple days, so I don't know if I'm going for that, it's short time. I definitely want to play for Czechs. It's always pleasure."
No player or coach wants to be done with hockey in early April and Frk is no different.
"I just want to play more hockey," Frk said. "Being on the fourth line, I didn't get as much minutes, so I just want to go there and play more. It's always good. My family come watch me because they were not here the whole year, so hopefully they can come there and watch me play because for them that's a long time they didn't see me play. Also, I want to play against the best and try to win it."