From 80 points to 91 points in the span of roughly 365 days, fans of the Detroit Red Wings can’t help but see a ray of hope for this team heading into 2024-25. Sure, the “Yzerplan” may be a long one, but if the team keeps trekking north in the Eastern Conference standings, it means the plan is working.
For those who have stuck by the Red Wings since Steve Yzerman took over and implemented his famous plan, you will reap the rewards sooner rather than later. Isn’t it great to no longer say “in time” because that’s no longer relevant in this phase of the building process?
Sure, the “step back” is always a possibility, but thanks to how well the Wings clicked in many facets this past season, it’s hard to anticipate Yzerman letting that happen. He still needs to improve a few areas of the game this team has struggled with, but overall, the returns have been brilliant.
Red Wings excelled in some facets, have room to improve in others
Until Yzerman has the Red Wings playing good, consistent hockey in all three zones, they’re still in danger of falling short of the playoffs. So we need a measuring stick to determine which areas of the game are working in the Red Wings favor right now, and which ones he must improve over the summer. And perhaps not even enhance too much if he has a few prospects ready to skate on NHL ice between October and April.
While we’ve spoken often about how well the Red Wings have excelled in certain aspects of the game and struggled in others in 2023-24, we have yet to attach a letter grade to them. So let’s change that right now and grade how well this team fared in the offensive zone, in the defensive zone, and on special teams.
At the end of the article, we’ll attach a verdict and give some insight of just how close the Wings are to making the playoffs.