The Detroit Red Wings have had an overall strong start to their season. Entering Wednesday night’s action, the Wings have 18 points, good enough for second place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the division-leading Montreal Canadiens.
That situation should be good enough to land the Red Wings on a solid path for the playoffs. However, the people at Moneypuck don’t seem to think so.
The publication’s annual playoff probability ranking lists the Red Wings with a 45% chance of making the playoffs. That’s not very encouraging at this point in the season. The Wings have shown relatively consistent play throughout their first 14 games, some hiccups notwithstanding.
Detroit lines up over teams like the Ottawa Senators (43.1%), Pittsburgh Penguins (39.8%), and New York Islanders (34.7%).
In contrast, only the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are considered shoe-ins with playoff probabilities over 90%.
So, what does that mean for the Red Wings? Are the playoffs still too far away? Or does it mean the team has too many gaps to fill?
The lack of faith in the Red Wings could lie in their youth and relative inexperience. Even though the Red Wings have numerous veteran players, some with a Stanley Cup pedigree, there is one major question surrounding the Wings at this point.
Red Wings must display consistency before being taken as serious playoff contenders
The biggest drawback at this point for the Detroit Red Wings is consistency. This season marks the first time in nearly a decade that Detroit is in the playoff picture. So, it makes sense that the pro oddsmakers don’t seem overly convinced the Wings have the chops to run the gauntlet for an entire season.
Based on that premise, does it mean the Red Wings are likely to fade down the stretch? Could be. The Red Wings have numerous unproven players like Marco Kasper, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Emmitt Finnie, and Simon Edvinsson, among others, who might not hold up for the whole season.
Then, there’s the biggest question of all: Goaltending. The Cam Talbot-John Gibson tandem may not hold up for the entire season. If they falter as the season wears on, that could drag the Red Wings down.
Of course, all of these comments are assumptions. Like Schrodinger's Cat, we won’t know if the Red Wings are a playoff team until they are one. If that happens this season, Wings fans can celebrate a major step forward in the YzerPlan. If the team fades, more questions will emerge regarding what the Wings need to finally get over the hump.
*Odds update periodically and are subject to change