3 reasons the Red Wings put the NHL on notice following an intriguing season
The Detroit Red Wings extended what has become the NHL’s second-longest playoff drought, but it doesn’t mean their season wasn’t an inspiring one.
Oh, the Detroit Red Wings came so close to making the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it wasn’t meant to be. This one will sting, no doubt, and it will sting all summer, literally until the puck drops in October 2024. But that doesn’t mean we can’t look back fondly on what was a successful year for Detroit, even with no playoffs.
And I get it; some will say, “No, the season wasn’t successful because they missed the playoffs again.” And that’s fair, as a playoff drought of this magnitude for one of the NHL’s most storied and championed franchises is unacceptable. Look, this article isn’t about moral victories but instead looks at several positives that show us that this team can and will be a playoff team in 2025.
For starters, the Red Wings progressed from 80 points in 2022-23 to 91 in 2023-24, and their goal differential went from minus-39 last season to plus-4. And if they had a decent No. 1 goaltender, that differential would have been higher.
Detroit Red Wings have put the NHL on notice that a playoff return is near
The Red Wings are also closer to a playoff return than they are to the bottom of the league. For a while, it looked as though the playoffs were inevitable, even if they hit a wall when Dylan Larkin went down with an injury and never recovered enough to see the postseason.
Sure, the year ended in disappointment, but we can’t sit here and deny that the improvement this unit made wasn’t playoff-worthy. Despite the hiccup starting in late February, the Red Wings stuck around until the final game of the regular season, and that should further signal to fans in the Motor City that the dark days are nearing their end. Let’s look at three more reasons Detroit has officially put the league on notice.
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The Red Wings showed us they can and will score often
Sure, the Red Wings had their not-so-good moments this season, but wow, did they score at will, or what often during this memorable campaign? You can only wonder what Dylan Larkin would have finished the season with if he didn’t miss 14 games, so let’s do the math and adjust his 69 points in 68 contests across 82 games. You will get 83 points, and just for fun, let’s adjust his 33 goals to an 82-game stretch, and the product is between 39 and 40.
Even with Larkin missing time, Detroit still finished the season with 278 goals or 3.39 per game. While a few teams still have another contest or two to go at the time of this writing, the current total was good for eighth in the NHL, meaning there is a good chance the Red Wings will finish the year with a top-10 scoring unit.
Sure, opponents will know what to expect from Detroit offensively next season - just look at what happened to the Buffalo Sabres this year - but this team has more experience than their Atlantic Division rival. That said, the Red Wings have a greater chance not only to emulate what they did this past season but to parlay it.
This team was on pace for 100 points shortly before Larkin’s injury
Although their infamous losing streak right before the “down the stretch period” occurred before they lost Dylan Larkin for a couple of weeks, his injury marked the unfortunate turning point of the season. But with Larkin in the lineup, the Red Wings showed the NHL just how good they are as a healthy bunch.
Before their losing streak started in late February and lasted until early March, the Red Wings were 33-20-6, good for 72 points in 59 games and 1.22 points per contest. Multiply 1.22 by 82, and you get 100.06 points, showing us that they could have easily been the fourth-best team in the Atlantic.
We honestly don’t know if the Red Wings would have avoided a losing streak if Larkin didn’t get hurt, and maybe they wouldn’t have. But staying consistent is the likelier outcome, which would have led to a playoff berth. This team played too well all season when they were healthy, and you can argue the Red Wings would have been one formidable opponent in the postseason.
While their losing streak hampered the season, Detroit still rallied and finished the year 8-5-3 for 19 points. Once again, they showed us what they were capable of when healthy, and next year, they will be even better.
Detroit may have found one goaltender, and they only need one more
Alex Lyon shouldn’t be a starting goaltender or a 1A, but the late-bloomer makes for an incredible backup or 1B, as the Red Wings should look to keep him around while moving on from James Reimer and Ville Husso. Luckily, Lyon has another year left on his deal, so only a trade or a buyout would cause him to go elsewhere, but Reimer’s contract will expire.
Husso also has another season left to go with a $4.75 AAV, plus a modified no-trade clause, which could make him tough to trade, but he often held the team back when he lined up between the pipes. He was the only Red Wings goaltender with at least 19 appearances who never recorded a shutout, and his 3.55 GAA was also an eyesore, so Detroit must look for a better option in the offseason.
If they find one, this team will be set in the crease for the first time in a while. That said, Lyon has evolved into a sound 1B that nobody should look forward to facing. Get a 1A to play in over half the starts, but also a 1A who can sit the bench when his number isn’t called so Lyon can parlay his successful 2023-24 season into something even more next year. Such a combo will more than benefit a high-scoring Red Wings group.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)