The Detroit Red Wings could join one of the NHL's rarest clubs of shame in 2025-26, setting a new record for futility in the process. As you know, the Wings have gone nine straight seasons without a playoff berth, and one more year means they'll "accomplish" something only very, very few teams have, and I'm not talking about a poor penalty kill unit.
An entire decade without making the playoffs is where I'm headed. And that means they'll join just three other organizations, two of whom are familiar division rivals. Check out the nice, little table of shame below:
Team | Years | Number of Seasons |
|---|---|---|
Buffalo Sabres | 2012-present | 14 |
Florida Panthers | 2001-2011 | 10 (lockout does not count) |
Edmonton Oilers | 2007-2016 | 10 |
And if you want more fun, they're just two seasons away from snagging the second-longest drought in league history. For a team known for its winning ways, it's beyond heartbreaking to see the Red Wings looking this bad.
But if you pay close attention to that chart, you might also notice something else. Two of those teams are among the NHL's best in today's game, meaning long playoff droughts don't automatically transform into long-term pain.
Detroit Red Wings playoff drought might get historically bad, but there's a lot of good news
The Wings are closer than some might think, something they had no problem proving to the NHL universe in 2024 and 2025. Heck, 2024 literally came down to the last game, and while 2025 saw a massive regression late, the Wings still looked like one of the better teams in hockey for a stretch there.
And this all happened with an incomplete Yzerplan. A few more high-profile prospects are on deck and will get even closer to playing full-time with the big club, so this long, drawn-out, migraine-inducing run without a postseason appearance hits differently.
Not much different from when the Oilers drafted Connor McDavid, and you knew their drought was on the cusp of ending. That's the vibe I'm getting with the Wings.
No, the Wings won't be lucky enough to snag a Connor McDavid-like player, but they'll have chemistry and a deep lineup. That means solid and borderline elite players will fare even better, potentially turning it into a Florida Panthers-like scenario a few years from now.
Red Wings may join the NHL's rarest, most agonizing club, but it may be worth it
Of course, the Yzerplan-era Red Wings could watch their rebuild fizzle out, something that we've seen happen in Buffalo when it looked like the Sabres finally turned a corner in 2023. But the Wings already have enough core pieces playing at an ultra-high level, like Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Moritz Seider.
Others, like Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper, showed us enough in 2024-25 that they're ready to jump up another rung or two in 2025-26. So, this drought's showing signs of cracking, even if the Wings enter a realm they'd rather avoid.
That means you, the fan, can keep the optimism high, regardless of what the Wings do in 2025-26. Well, unless they regress and end up finishing in the Atlantic Division's basement. Then you can gripe.
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