The Detroit Red Wings hold the NHL’s second-longest playoff drought behind their Atlantic Division rival, the Buffalo Sabres, but unlike the Blue and Gold, the Wings do have some playoff series wins. They were among the NHL’s best teams 15 years ago, and it helped them avoid an ultra-low ranking in the league-wide playoff series wins between 2009 and 2024.
That said, they still haven’t won a playoff series since 2013 when they beat the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. They lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Conference Semis, and since they jumped to the Eastern Conference, they lost in the First Round three straight times.
Red Wings don’t rank as low as you may think in playoff series wins
Since 2009, the Red Wings clock in at 18th in the NHL with six playoff series wins, alongside the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers. Now, you may notice two of those teams listed are in the 2024 Conference Finals, so if the Oilers and Panthers meet in the Stanley Cup Final, the Wings will drop to 20th. If one of them makes it, they will fall to 19th but will still be tied with Anaheim and Philadelphia.
But even if Edmonton and Florida pull ahead of the Wings, fans shouldn’t be too disappointed, as Detroit gave us a strong indication this past season that the playoff drought is nearly over. Sure, they’re going up against a strong Atlantic Division with teams that include Florida, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and it’s hard to count out the Sabres with Lindy Ruff back behind the bench.
But the Wings won’t be going through a new system change, unlike Buffalo and perhaps Toronto, who just hired Craig Berube. And that could mean not only an end to their current drought, but also their first playoff series win in over a decade.
(Additional information provided by Hockey-Reference)