While it’s true the Red Wings collapse ultimately cost them a playoff spot, we can’t sugarcoat the obvious: This team was outright terrible before Todd McLellan took over. During their first 34 games of the season, Derek Lalonde’s crew went 13-17-4, good for just 30 points, and an 82-game pace for 72 points.
That would’ve made the Red Wings the worst team in the Eastern Conference had they continued that pace, with all other things being equal. Yeah, that second-half collapse wouldn’t have been half-bad if the Wings didn’t spend their first 34 games sputtering, and if they snagged a 15-15-4 record in that span, they’d have been ultra close to sneaking in for a playoff berth.
So, you can see just what kind of havoc the first half of the 2024-25 season wreaked on Detroit, and it’s something they can’t repeat next season. If they do, then they’ll need more than just a pair of seven-game winning streaks to snap a playoff drought that will be going on for 10 seasons.
How can the Red Wings prevent such a slow start in 2025-26?
Honestly, the Wings need to play a more high-octane game out the gate. In those first 34 games, they scored just 88 times, good for 2.59 goals per game. That number wouldn’t even get the best defensive teams anywhere, let alone a Red Wings squad that allowed 111 goals in that same span.
Want more fun? 22 goals came on the Red Wings power play, meaning they scored just 66 times in all other situations. That’s a bad mark, and it gets worse when you look at their 46.7 Corsi For rating at 5-on-5, meaning the Wings allowed way more scoring chances than they created.
Despite the team’s late-season collapse this past season, they still started scoring relatively well for the most part. That needs to be the floor when 2025-26 kicks off, or else they’ll find themselves playing catch-up hockey again. It didn’t treat them well, as the Wings proved they couldn’t get consistent enough to salvage those early-season wounds.
Red Wings also can’t afford another late-season collapse regardless
Just because I’m saying the Wings must play better hockey to kick off next season, don’t think for a second that I’m implying they can get away with another collapse. Maybe not in the second half total, but to be more accurate, in the final one-third mark.
Following the 4 Nations break, everything went to shreds, and while they’ll have more of a cushion with a solid first half, you can expect an even more competitive Eastern Conference, guaranteed.
The New York Rangers still have a solid core, the Buffalo Sabres have just about had enough of their woes, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be putting a team together for its Big Three, the Boston Bruins had a bad season but most of their core is still intact, and both the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are young enough to build on their success.
Then, there’s the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are just a few pieces from earning a playoff berth, themselves. And at this point, none of the top-three teams in either division look like they’re going anywhere any time soon.
So, that’s 13 teams, plus the Red Wings, who could be good enough to compete for eight spots, with only the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers looking like they need another year or two.