There’s a lot of chatter surrounding the Detroit Red Wings' latest epic collapse. By now, just about every possible theory has been posited. Some have even come to think there’s some kind of voodoo curse on the organization.
But conspiracy theories aside, there is one significant but overlooked factor that helped derail the Red Wings’ season. Now, we’re not saying it’s the only one. But it’s one that played a major role.
That factor was this season’s uber-compressed schedule.
The reason for the compressed schedule was the 2026 Winter Olympics. Since the NHL shut down the season for three weeks, the bulk of games that would have been played in that span had to get crammed into a shorter window.
And that compressed schedule took its toll on every team in the league. This season, there was an abnormal number of injuries for every club. It seems as though every team in the league was dealing with a mountain of wounded warriors.
While that’s par for the course in a regular NHL season, the 2025-26 campaign showed a much higher rate than normal.
The Red Wings, for their part, were “running on fumes,” as insider Elliotte Friedman put it. To make matters worse, Detroit’s best players, Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond didn’t get to enjoy the time off afforded by the Olympic break. In Larkin’s case, he went the full distance with Team USA en route to the gold-medal performance.
Red Wings’ last two March collapses happened during compressed seasons
Last year was another compressed season. The NHL shut down in the middle of February for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Yes, the tourney was a smashing success, but it also forced the league to cram games.
Of course, not every player from every team plays in these tournaments. But the problem lies in the shortened rest between games. That’s when fatigue and injuries begin to pile up. Goalies, in particular, often have to bear the brunt of the increased workload.
There’s a hole in this entire conversation that needs to be addressed. Next season will see a more traditional schedule despite the increase to 84 games. The league will compensate for the two additional regular-season games by cutting down on the number of preseason contests.
That said, if the Red Wings don’t fade down the stretch, then the theory would prove correct. A traditional schedule would allow the Wings to better manage their workload and avoid another collapse.
But if the Red Wings can’t sustain the effort seen earlier in the season, then it would be unequivocal that the team’s roster construction needs serious consideration.
Based on that assumption, it’s unlikely the Red Wings will overhaul their roster. They’ll look at the team, focus on adding depth, and then hope that a less-packed schedule would allow the club to remain competitive from September to April.
Let’s see if the club proves this season’s outcome was the NHL’s fault, not theirs.
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