Detroit Red Wings report card after an amazing season
The Detroit Red Wings may not have earned a spot in the NHL Playoffs, but they enjoyed an amazing season regardless.
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.
Offensive zone play fueled the Red Wings in 2023-24
The Red Wings took ninth place with 278 goals last season and if Dylan Larkin hadn’t gotten hurt, there’s a good chance that the total would have gone higher. But still, a top-10 finish is a top-10 finish, and it’s not like Larkin was the only reason the Red Wings were one of the NHL’s higher-scoring teams.
Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Shayne Gostisbehere, J.T. Compher, and Patrick Kane all deserve credit, among others. Kane especially looked rejuvenated on the ice following a hip resurfacing. And here’s another outstanding number: Eight different Red Wings scored 17 or more goals this past season.
While it’s unlikely every player who scored 17 or more will return next season, guys like Raymond, DeBrincat, Compher, and most likely Kane will return. Kane will have a full season to perhaps even hit the 30-goal mark if he’s back with the Wings, and it will be exciting to see what Raymond’s encore performance will look like.
Overall, this team was outstanding offensively, and they’re getting an A-minus for this one. If they become a top-five scoring team, then a solid A is in their future. And who knows? Maybe general manager Steve Yzerman will trade for one more scorer and ensure this team climbs another rung?
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.
Above average special teams play should give fans more hope, but…
The Red Wings power play unit definitely supplemented this team’s outstanding play in the offensive zone, also finishing ninth in the league with a 23.08 conversion percentage. They also tied for sixth in the NHL with 63 power play goals. To be fair, the Wings did rank third in the NHL with 273 power play opportunities, but it also implies they were outstanding at drawing penalties.
The penalty kill wasn’t as good as the man advantage, but it still managed to finish 14th in the league at 79.58. This was a rather encouraging number, considering how pedestrian the Wings looked in the defensive zone at times this season. Further, it wasn’t like the goaltending gave them much help, whether it was on the penalty kill or even strength.
Play in the crease, however, wasn’t good, and it would be one of a few mistakes Steve Yzerman could make this summer if he didn’t address the situation. While it’s easy to give the Red Wings special teams a solid B for their top 10 ranking in the power play and 14th-place finish at 4-on-5, they’re getting another D-plus for their goaltending. If play in the crease improves, look for the penalty kill unit and overall defensive zone play to take another step forward in 2024-25.
Verdict
This past season, the Red Wings were the NHL’s version of the 2022-23 Buffalo Sabres - good and even outstanding at times when they had the puck, but not good without the puck. But with more experience in the lineup, the good news is that the Red Wings probably won’t regress the same way as the Sabres.
They also know what they must work on to bring about a better result next season, and the sense of urgency should be high enough to make the right adjustments. If not, they won’t rise above the solid C they’re getting this season, which, for this piece, is a little below average.
Even if they made the playoffs, it would still be tough to give this group anything higher than a C because they relied way too much on scoring instead of playing a more balanced game. Teams like that may be fun to watch, but they aren’t winning championships, let alone often crossing the playoff threshold.
Overall, the Red Wings need better defensive zone play and goaltending, even if the mediocre results didn’t show up on the penalty kill. If Yzerman fixes these issues, imagine how well the entire team will perform with what was a stellar showing in the offensive zone.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)