The Detroit Red Wings had themselves a busy summer. After a great season in 2022-23, the Red Wings continued to make improvements that hopefully woo them into a spot of playoff contention.
The Detroit Red Wings made some additions via the free agent market, bringing in some new faces and beefing up some areas of the roster. It was a busy summer between some veteran additions on defense, some firepower added on offense, and a couple of netminders.
General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman had his hands full this summer. After all, he made one of the biggest splashes on the trade market, if not the biggest, in the blockbuster trade that brought forward Alex DeBrincat to Hockeytown.
Hopefully, these additions will be enough to push them over the edge. The Red Wings hope they can make that push and find themselves in the playoffs when the 2023-24 regular season ends.
The Detroit Red Wings made changes, but is it enough?
It was a busy summer. Between the signings and the trades, the Red Wings look like a different team than they did last season, in a good way. They brought in some pieces that will help produce more offense and improved the team’s goalie tandem.
There were improvements on the back end, and prospects are looking to make an impact this season as they settle into the upcoming season. For Detroit, it’s good to see all of these changes, especially with some pressure on this upcoming season, to turn a corner.
The Red Wings were in contention for a playoff spot at times last year, and that feeling was great for Red Wings fans; the question is if they can get over that hump in 2023-24. The Red Wings will go out and look to compete for a playoff spot and finally sneak their way in.
This will require these new pieces to be firing on all cylinders, allowing them to turn that corner on the rebuild and officially jump back into postseason contention. With so many changes this summer, it feels like the Red Wings will come out and be a surefire competitor this season.
The big question of “was it enough” matters more when it comes to the opposing forces. The Red Wings are in a competitive Atlantic Division that will make things challenging. Going into it, knowing they need to earn a top-three finish with teams like the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs will be tough.
While they could claim one of the wildcard spots, the Red Wings will be in a battle with those teams that round out the last spot in the Division and the wildcard spots. Whether it is the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, or New Jersey Devils, it will be a battle for the Red Wings, who will fight the whole way.
Detroit’s made many moves and improvements, but they will have their work cut out for them in 2023-24. This upcoming season, the question hanging over their head will be if it was enough. However, Yzerman seems to have his sights fixed on other things, and making the playoffs may not be the priority.
For Detroit, they’re hoping they’ve done enough. Time will tell, but it will be an exciting 2023-24 season, that’s for sure. They’re hoping they can go out and execute, seeing all the new pieces settle into place.