Detroit Red Wings Roundtable: Will They Make it 25 Seasons?

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A lot of talk since the Detroit Red Wings were knocked out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been about keeping the streak alive. This season would be 25 years.

So in this Red Wings Round Table I asked this simple question; will the Detroit Red Wings make the playoff this season and continue their streak to 25 years?

Mike Laybourne thinks the positive changes will help the team:

On my shelf sits a 2014 Winter Classic commemorative puck that my buddy Alex got for me. It serves as a reminder not only of an awesome Winter Classic game (marred slightly by us losing) but also as a reminder of a tense few months. January 2014 was not a fun time to be a Red Wings fan. We were firmly wedged in the middle of the table, jostling with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs for the last few playoff slots. That nerve-wracking battle continued over the next few months. After each game I’d check the table to see where we were, terrified that our team, with all our injured skaters, wouldn’t make the playoffs.

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It wasn’t until April 10th that we clinched a wildcard spot, and that kinda felt like the runner-up prize, but hey, we’d made the playoffs again. I have nothing against the wildcard system, but we should be in the top spots. 2015 was better. Sure we were knocked out in the first series by a defiant Tampa Bay in seven games, but at least we got there the proper way.

Can we do it again? Go for that 25th consecutive playoff? Yeah we can. Of course nothing is guaranteed in sport but we have all the right parts in all the right places. What’s changed since last season? The biggest change of course is Jeff Blashill replacing the outgoing Mike Babcock. Blashill couldn’t be better prepared for life with the Red Wings, given his previous experience with the franchise. We haven’t lost any major players either. In fact the team is now stronger with the additions of Mike Green and Brad Richards.

Supporting an Original Six team with 11 Stanley Cups to its name brings with it expectations of success, especially given our recent history of always making the playoffs. Tigers and Lions fans don’t expect the same success (damn I wish Stafford could throw) because we’re not used to seeing it. The Red Wings are different. They’re the good team in Detroit, the one that wins things sometimes. With the positive changes, it’s an exciting time to be a Wings fan, as I said earlier, nothing is guaranteed but after the dust settles, we look like we’re gonna be stronger than last season.

Next: John is very confident the Red Wings keep the Streak alive

John Fisher

Ah, making Detroit Red Wings predictions for 8 months from now–it must be August. With a full season of injuries, trades, and suspensions yet to even begin, anyone’s prediction could end up looking silly.

But will the Red Wings make the playoffs for the 25th straight season in 2016? You bet they will.

Detroit finished 3rd in the Atlantic Division last year, but only clinched a playoff spot by a measly two points. Not much room for error, but consider the season they had. They spent the last 3 months of the season trapped between Jimmy Howard forgetting how to play goalie and Petr Mrazek still adjusting to the NHL game. Sitting here now, I can’t tell you who will be in net on opening night, but I can assure you it won’t take three months to figure it out this time.

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Now what about Datsyuk and Zetterberg you might say? They are both getting up there in age and are starting to miss some time each year. While this is true and we could see each of them take a step back as their careers start to dwindle down, it’s not as if they single-handedly dragged Detroit to the playoffs all by themselves. Even if those two can’t be counted on as much, I suspect an additional year of growth for Tatar, Nyquist, Sheahan, Glendening, Pulkkinen and company. will be more than enough to make up any lack of production from the Euro-twins.

Then there’s this summer’s roster changes. I don’t see how anyone could argue Detroit’s roster got worse, or even stayed the at the same level they were previously. Mike Green gives the blue line the offensive right-handed shot it has needed for years, and Brad Richards can more than make up for the loss of Stephen Weiss. And hey who knows, maybe this is finally the year Dan Cleary will finally be put out to pasture, opening up yet another roster spot for one of the young guys.

Yet for all the changes Detroit endured, none of it would matter if the Atlantic as a whole improved around them. But it’d be hard to find a division rival who improved as much as the Red Wings did this summer. Tampa Bay seemed satisfied with their team, mostly standing pat. Unless Montreal believes Alex Semin is the answer to their prayers, they didn’t make any noticeable moves (and it’s unlikely Carey Price will repeat his career year performance of a year ago). Ottawa will likely regress, needing some unheard of rookie in Andrew Hammond to carry them for the last 2 months. Hammond was benched in the playoffs so it seems his run was more magical than it was talent. Keeping the theme going, Boston added no one of note, and even lost young star Dougie Hamilton and solid depth center Carl Soderberg without any suitable replacements. Florida should be better with another year under their belt, and Buffalo added lots of young talent, but both are still probably a year or two away from the playoffs. And Toronto? They may have hired the best coach in hockey, but even he can’t win a chess game if all his players are just pawns.

After a few less than stellar summers, Ken Holland made some nice moves this off-season while his contemporaries were mostly quiet. That should help Detroit rise in next year’s standings, and solidifying a spot in their 25th straight Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Carl Landra

I wanted a different voice for this question so I turned to another hockey perspective. Carl is the host of an amazing podcast called the 4th Line Podcast. Carl is also a Colorado Avalanche fan. I’m sure there’s no bias here. If you want to listen to a fun, smart and interactive hockey podcast, you can listen to the 4th Line Podcast here. Onto Carl’s take:

After the loss of such important pieces named Mike Babcock, Mike Babcock, and Mike Babcock, the Red Wings outcome for this year will certainly rely heavily on the performance of Jeff Blashill. Losing arguably the best coach in hockey puts Detroit’s back against the wall right away. That is not, however, the main reason why I do not think the Detroit Red Wings will keep their playoff streak alive.

The Red Wings are a veteran club that should be able to adjust to a new system under Blashill. The Red Wings will miss the playoffs because too many players on the team wear the red cross of the hospital than the red of the Red Wings. Veterans Zetterberg and Datsyuk, while still talented, have struggled to stay on the ice the last number of years, especially Datsyuk. Pair that with oft injured free agent defenseman Mike Green and goaltender Jimmy Howard who was not himself after returning from injury and the Red Wings have a tough hill to climb if they have a repeat performance on the injury front.

Detroit has a number of quality young players on their roster that they will have to rely heavily on if injuries start to pile up, but it’s hard to replace such talented veterans.

Combining this with a division which includes the Eastern Conference Champion Lightning, the Vezina Trophy and league MVP in Montreal and improved teams in Florida and Buffalo, the odds are stacked against Detroit. This is why Detroit’s 24-year playoff streak will end.

Next: Jimmy believes there is a chance, but there is a catch

Jimmy Halmhuber

The Red Wings are coming off another first round exit against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Red Wings may have lost, but they took the best offense in the league to 7 games–leading the series three times with a chance to clinch at the Joe in Game 6. The Lightning ended up going to the Stanley Cup finals and losing to the Blackhawks. The team were the underdogs in the series and they definitely showed they still have some fight despite being underdogs in the series.

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The Red Wings have just barely slipped into the playoffs the past two years. Mike Babcock was a master motivator for the younger players and the veterans. He got the best out of the player’s game in and game out all season. Now that Babcock has left for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Wings signed two established veteran players in the form of Brad Richards and Mike Green to fill holes in the Wings roster that desperately needed filling. There were some rumors that with Babcock at the helm, free agents were less willing to come to Detroit. That appears to be over.

New coach Jeff Blashill was the former coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins and is familiar with many of the players. The team Blashill inherited from Babcock is a young, yet experienced team. It has a solid core of veterans such in Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall.

One of these young players is goalie Petr Mrazek. After beating out Jimmy Howard for the starting spot in the playoffs he has shown why he deserved the starting job. Mrazek is a key part of a possible Red Wings playoff run. Mrazek had a .920 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average in 2015. Other players that were crucial to the wings success last year were Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist. Together they combined for 112 goals last season and were a huge part of the red wings offense.

Based on these facts and as long as everyone stays healthy the Red Wings should make the playoffs and continue the streak. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a run this year with the additions they added.

Next: Natalie has a strong belief in the Red Wings

Natalie Longroy

I have a strong belief that the Red Wings will make the playoffs again this upcoming year because they are the Detroit Red Wings. Yet that is definitely not the only reason. They pretty much have the odds against them for the sake of this streak going on 25 years. That’s unheard of! As a true fan though, I’m always pulling for the impossible and unthinkable. I mean our playoff streak is older than 12 NHL franchises. Again we’re the Red Wings; we like to entertain the fans with a nail-biting, heart-palpitating, edge-of-my-seat finish to the season, just scraping by to make the playoffs especially the last couple of years.

However I can understand why there might be some doubt. We just lost our coach to the Toronto Maple Leafs that has been with us for 10 solid years. But I am hopeful to turn a new leaf with a lot of changes pertaining to the coaching staff.