Defensive zone play needs serious work for 2024-25
If you can point to one reason the Red Wings didn’t earn a trip to the NHL Playoffs, it’s the fact they allowed 274 goals, which ranked 24th in the NHL. Inconsistencies at the blue line led to an already so-so goaltending unit to struggle, and it led to Detroit holding just a plus-4 goal differential this season.
A contingent of fans will always blame the goaltending here, and feel free to, as neither Alex Lyon, James Reimer, nor Ville Husso were great, even if Lyon enjoyed some good moments. Overall, this team allowed 2,657 shots on goal, which equals 32.4 given up per contest.
Detroit rarely did a good job of regaining puck control, and it ended with them finishing with a Corsi For Percentage at 5-on-5 of just 46.5. Had the Red Wings retrieved the puck better and given their scorers more chances, this particular article wouldn’t have been written until May or even June, as Detroit would likely be in the playoffs right now.
Because there was little to go on regarding their defensive zone play from this season, it’s hard to give Detroit anything higher than a D-plus this time around. This needs to improve above all else in 2024-25, but if it does, the playoffs are a likely result.