WHY the Detroit Red Wings DID NOT Make the Playoffs

Neal Ruhl, Darren McCarty and the rest of the BDE crew discuss the ending of the Detroit Red Wings season and why they didn't make the playoffs. Like, Subscribe and leave your comment below!
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[@abienk8613]

Craziest thing is that even without a 100 point scorer Detroit was still right there with those teams in terms of total goals scored.

[@Evocletian]

They didn't have 100 point scorers during the Datsyuk zetterberg years either tho

[@ericscottstevens]

@@Evocletian Both were fantastic defensive forwards. They could backcheck and foil any teams momentum at neutral ice or in front of their net.

[@Mark-ly4lq]

Depth scoring

[@workshoptelescope]

That’s because the rest of the division was equally horrible.

[@abienk8613]

@@workshoptelescope equally horrible? Most people would say Atlantic is probably the toughest division in the NHL

[@nickfury8973]

You cannot keep relying on scoring 4-5 goals to win games Defense needs to get better

[@joextreme]

Agreed plus better goaltending

[@YooperHatesOhioState]

@@joextremeLyon regressed a little but most times u can’t blame the guy for the problems his defense created for him

[@joextreme]

@@YooperHatesOhioState Lyon is out of position most nights. Detroit never had a liable goalie even with Chris Osgood. Hasek maybe, but we had better D in front of them. I did enjoy Petr Mrazek, but that's another story.

[@YooperHatesOhioState]

@@joextreme Howard and Ozzy were my guys

[@joextreme]

@@YooperHatesOhioState Jimmy 5 hole, the man who only won 2 games in a season? lol I never liked Howard, horrible goalie and horrible on Bally Sports Detroit analyst haha.

[@romasana404]

Lyon had a great season and carried the team at points but it seemed he ran out of gas from being over worked down the stretch

[@philhamilton8731]

Yep. Newsie bungled that situation.

[@xthebumpx]

The bottom fell out when Larkin got injured and they didn't get back to hitting their stride until it was too late

[@jjcalvillo]

The first couple of games in the collapse happened WITH Larkin in the lineup. That’s an excuse. If the team is so fragile they live or die on the availability of a single player, you don’t have a team.

[@ericscottstevens]

No one to step up except Compher and Veleno into that spot. Both are basically depth NHL'ers. This team has no draft lottery stud.

[@RobertJones-kl5ty]

The bottom should not fall out just because Larkin is out. The biggest problem is still the lack of defense.

[@MarcianoMarciano-jf3oc]

It’s not because the injury it’s because the f-ing penguins if the red wings won that game in ot they would have made the playoffs

[@cravex06]

Detroit is 7th in the league for goals scored and 9th in power play, which is above many playoff teams. The main issue is not offense or needing a top point producer, they need better defense and goaltending.

[@workshoptelescope]

Their shooting percentage was 2nd highest for most of the season, finally dropping to 3rd this month. Their offense is also a problem.

[@ericross9393]

Three of the best games in the history of the franchise. Memorable. However, the Wings knew they should have taken care of business two weeks ago instead of being in three must win games.

[@davidconnell-tk9tl]

Are you insane? Look back over the past 25 years and say with a straight face this team had 3 of the best games in the wings history. Mediocre team, mediocre record. And banking on kids in GR? I love SY and what he’s done for the wings, but maybe he ain’t the guy? How many years of this until the franchise pulls his plug?

[@user-zp7bs4tc1r]

Recency bias ..Big Time.

[@darthandeddeu]

Next season playoffs,2026 conference finals or gone ​@@davidconnell-tk9tl

[@chevelle1]

@@davidconnell-tk9tlhe’s probably too young to know about the Wings of the mid 90’s-late 00’s.

[@Weeping_Somnambulist]

Ken Holland left a huge mess not just in terms of a bare cupboard but the cap situation and overpaying mid players on long term contracts meant this was going to be a long process. Larkin, Rasmussen, and Berggren are the only guys in the system drafted by Holland. This was a complete teardown. It took almost three years just to clean the house up and get it ready for new furniture.​@@davidconnell-tk9tl

[@Hellboydrw]

I am proud of the team. I am proud of SY. I am proud of the improvement

[@ericscottstevens]

Only about 2 SY draft choices (not counting Edvinsson) are on the current roster, not good, not terrible considering where they have been roughly drafting in the top 10 of each selection round..

[@jonathanmoody390]

The glaring problem is defense and goaltending. We need two more defenseman and an NHL goalie.

[@vmi4172]

Assessment is easy: We need a complete 2nd line. Maybe we resign Kane, maybe SY goes after Stamkos, but thats one piece of the puzzle as we have no second line right now and we have the most expensive 3rd line in hockey: Copp-JT-Ras. Also we obviously need a Goalie, and get rid of the dead weight on defense. Young guys may help there. BUT first and foremost IMO Lalonde HAS TO GO. The guy has no passion behind the bench. Never stands up for the players. NEVER STANDS UP TO THE REFS. Quiet as a mouse when refs ignore obvious penalties. It's pathetic at times. No motivation skills. We constantly start slow or have long slow stretches of play. Thats on coaching. We need a REAL HC! FYI: The Kucherov's and 1C's dont grow on trees. We have to settle on what he can work with. So, with that said, fix 1-New HC 2-2nd line 3-Goalie 4-defense= playoff team next year.

[@user-fn2kf6dl9y]

Need better Defense and Goaltending !!!!

[@AndrewSavedbyJesus]

Yep. Time to bring up Cossa and let him be the guy. He's proven he's ready in GR. Why trade up 3 years ago for him if you're not going to let him play until he's 25?

[@RobertJones-kl5ty]

Disagree. I don't want to ruin a rookie goaltend by putting him behind a poor defense.@@AndrewSavedbyJesus

[@PCPAyLOAD]

You simply don't have a shot with only two, low 30's goal scorers in todays NHL. Sure, there are very, VERY occasional outliers that might make it into the dance for the first round but that is extremely rare. We need top 10 goaltending and multiple players that can push well past 60-70 points with 30 and 40+ goal scorers to have a real shot.

[@ericscottstevens]

Bad clears in side their blueline were the most glaring shortcoming I saw all year. At least 17-20 games it occurred with a hack and whack attempt to get the puck out and instead to an onsides opponent and the puck ended up in our net. The team got overly sloppy trying to defend in front of their own goalie and did not recognize the danger areas.. Overall this is a typical team that has not won the draft lottery, they are not going to win it for 2024 either.

[@johngolfer9244]

We scored more goals than VAN, VGK, LAK, WPG, NYI, WSH, FLA, BOS, and 1 less than CAR. All due respect to D-Mac but I don't care who puts it in the net, as long as it gets in. This is not a scoring problem. This is a D problem and a system failure. We need more size and speed on D and more backchecking and speed on O.

[@Jay-n262]

They need another good center, 2 defenseman and a better goalie.

[@phillipmartin5732]

Thanks for never wasting time! Y’all rock!!

[@OFDProductions]

Lalonde has no passion, can’t motivate the team when it counts, doesn’t hold players accountable for their mistakes, makes excuses and makes stupid lineup decisions. With a better head coach this team makes the playoffs, he needs to go

[@carterpochynok4874]

Yzerman warned us at the start of the season not to expect the playoffs out of this team... Its almost like we didnt listen or something. Look on the bright side: this was THE best year in the Yzerman era in terms of overall performance and in terms of prospect development.

[@workshoptelescope]

The problem the team is just mediocre, they’re neither good enough to compete, nor bad enough to get better. If the ceiling is Raymond as a 72 point player, it’s not going to be good enough to compete in the conference.

[@mrjhoy4]

and then he added Patrick Kane

[@jackconrad2667]

I think they need to fire lalonde. Def has been an ongoing problem. But it seems like they need a strong def minded right hand defenseman to cover that issue. Chariot was fine this year on second line. Ghost bear put up the points he was expected to. We all knew he has lapses in def. Petry and holl gone. Yzerman work ur magic and get away from husso somehow

[@kevinrasmussen1319]

Here's the good news: This season was a success in Detroit, and GR is headed to playoffs. Raymond showing he's a stud that can come through in the clutch. Mo played the hardest D minutes in the ENTIRE LEAGUE and hung with the best. Danielson is lighting it up in Portland, he's got 10 pts in 7 GP in the playoffs already, +20 on the year. Edvinsson proved he can play in big games, helped GR to the playoffs, chucks fists, etc. Cossa took a huge step forward, he's the future in goal as the guys touched on here. Both teams showed a ton of grit and team toughness down the stretch with multiple guys fighting for the first time.

[@jaysleeper264]

Never forget we could have had Q.Hughes but we drafted Zadina at 6 bc he was a "top 3 pick" despite the first 5 teams (even the yotes) passing on that. KH's parting gift.

[@Hellboydrw]

Lalonde was real for the entire time. Nobody wanted to hear it.

[@jacklingenfelter7765]

100%! Everybody wanted to get rid of him when they hit a 7 game losing streak, but he was also the coach for multiple 5 game winning streaks. Also Half the team was sick for a month straight lol

[@philhamilton8731]

You are right, but I personally don't like how he delivered it. Kind of gave excuses, maybe a valid ones, but I would have rather heard him "whipping the ponies" and holding the guys feet to the fire to make the playoffs down the stretch. I trust that the Captain knows what he is doing with that situation as well. Maybe that room wasn't going to respond well to a coach like that. Who knows. I am okay if he's is behind the bench next year.

[@jacobfolkringa8676]

​@@philhamilton8731 Ya I agree with you, Larkin is the real leader not that coach My problem with him is the same problem you have His message after a game is always the experts didn't think we would be this good,far etc... Instead of ignoring it and believing you can do anything if they all believe it He has the wrong mentality for a championship style coach

[@bradmaguire9611]

How does anyone know how he delivered it. If he tells you what he says to the players he betrays their confidence, players around the league don't trust him and you are effed acquiring players going forward. He was honest when he said it may not be the same next year, that to me was a subtle hint to every player aside from Larkin Raymond cat and Seider that if we don't make the playoffs you're trade bait, but that's not good enough for fans because they're spoiled brats in the social media age who think their entitled to know privileged info, get real, Bowman would never say a damn thing and didn't lose his crap like some coaches who end up in 10-15 different stops because loose lips sink your ship bud. Bottom line this roster was not good enough because the wings alhabe to prove their competitive before they get legit free agents and because they haven't had a top 3 draft pick since the 80's. Wake up and smell reality people. Raymond showed he's legit, Larkin is legit, so is Seider, you have surrounding pieces, you have no #1 goalie, you have no #2 center, you have only 2 legit dmen, one of them was a rookie, the building blocks are there have some freaking patience or go root for Ottawa and Buffalo and see where that takes you.

[@philhamilton8731]

@@bradmaguire9611 I was referring to his "public" remonstrations about team expectations. If you are in the hunt for a playoff spot, go hard for it without the "lucky to just be here" attitude. Maybe you need to take a deep, cleansing breath and just chill. We, as paying fans (yes, I spent money to see the club more than once this year) have every right to critique the team and coach as we see fit. We can support the team and coach, yet still not like attitudes and/or performance. Lalonde is okay. Are you?

[@cac5486]

We can do pick players to blame all day long, but ultimately the blame rests on management, particularly with the head coach. I'm really disappointed in Lalonde. I think he is ultimately responsible for the Wings skid and should be held accountable, but as a rookie head coach for the most part, only in his 2nd year as a head coach and being in the 2nd year of his 3-year contract with the Wings, maybe he didn't have any pull with Stevie Y on decision-making while the Wings were on that 3-12 run towards the end of the season. On the other hand, Stevie Y basically reacted to the Wings success going towards the trade deadline and not acquiring or trading anybody and maybe relying on Lalonde as a head coach and the current roster, but as I have stated before, the Wings drastically dropped off 3-4 weeks left in the season while having at least 10+ points on the Caps, Isles, Pens. I just think that Lalonde didn't do the responsible thing and address that issue. If Stevie Y keeps him for next season, Lalonde SHOULD be replaced the moment the roster begins skidding again, no bones about it.

[@vivid_prizm]

I think Larking is a great 1C. He would have had a 40-40 season if he stayed healthy. If you are looking for a 90+ pt player Raymond’s steps this year makes me think he can become that

[@dfoleyusa]

Look I wanted Detroit back in the playoffs and I’m NOT a Red Wings fan but the current point system is not unfair. DET had 27 regulation wins and WSH had 32. DET secured a bunch of wins in OT which is essentially a skills competition gimmick. Using RW is the right way to determine the stronger 5 on 5 team which is the format for the playoffs including OT. As much as I hate the Caps they did more in regulation at 5 on 5 to earn a spot.

[@dfoleyusa]

Also I could not disagree more on point scoring. Look at Vegas last year. Top point scorer on a Stanley Cup winning team was Eichel with 66 in 67 games - Vegas won because they got balanced scoring all over the team and stayed healthy in the playoffs. They have always operated this way since their founding. They’ve missed the playoffs one time in their existence. Can teams win with superstars - sure Tampa has but they can also perennially disappoint like Toronto or Edmonton. One guy does not make an NHL team great and like baseball simply loading up a couple of superstar point getters does not ensure success - the Yankees and now my Dodgers have been trying this for years with little success in an uncapped sport. With the NHL salary cap I think Vegas has found a formula and would not be shocked when Stone comes back if they stuff another trophy in the case while EDM and TOR continue to badger their ‘superstars’ for not showing up.

[@Nichaelas]

Woah didn't expect D-mac to be repping my hometown there with the hoodie!

[@gerrietpowrie4932]

I think if Husso stays health and played like he did last year and with Lyon how he played this year before getting burned out, will be a good enough goalie rotation to push us up into the playoffs and a better record next year

[@user-hh9jc1gu6g]

We are one elite defensive player and goalie from being right there. Didn’t take advantage of free agency at end of year But still proud of this team

[@DragonmasterAlex]

FIRE LALONDE: I would have believed in giving him his 3rd year to have 3 chances at doing something with this team, but the "breaker" for me to want him gone are his postgame interviews and practice interviews over the month of April. Just awful comments. Upper management should be realists, not coach making such comments. HE SAID "We overachieved" to Trevor Thompson after kane won the shootout!!!!! Thats not for his position to be saying publicly!!!!!

[@dylangrondin1860]

Totally agree I think yzerman will keep him to start season then fier him if shit starts to hit the fan.

[@gerrietpowrie4932]

The big issue i have with our coach is that he didn't rotate the goalies enough and relied too much on Lyon.

[@dangroat4438]

In the end it comes down to this: This team was 1 point away, one stinking lousy point away from making the playoffs this year, and when you look back on their season you will notice that they blew getting that point from some of the games earlier in the season where they held a 4 goal lead in a game but let it slip away and eventually lost. You can't blame just one person for that, you have to blame that on a collective effort by the entire team. As good as they were at times this season there were times when you were shaking your head saying to yourself "What is going on here? You should have easily won that game".

[@rmsmartstudios]

We need guys like kronwall and holmstrom . They owned the defense on the ice .

[@puckhndler]

Most of those 100+ goal scorers are the elite on the teams they play for. The New York Rangers, years ago before the salary cap, built an team of all-stars. They didn't even make the playoffs. How many times did we see turnovers, blind passes, D zone breakdowns, etc. lead to goals against? At least a hundred. Bad play, bad plays, lead to losses, not just top scorers. Grit, grind, winning puck battles on the boards in the O zone create scoring chances, how many times did we see 4 red jerseys behind the blue line chasing the puck without a solid check on an opposing player. Coaching, solid, no-nonsense plays that put snipers in front of the net and a good screen create good goals. We saw little of that. Lalond should've been sitting players for not being aggressive against the puck handlers. He should've been more insistent on plays that carry the puck in to the O zone, not the dump and chase and hope someone can get a lucky shot off. If they get to the puck.

[@robertmiddel1028]

What will help increase the scoring and increase the points the Larkin and Raymond will get is to not spend so much time in our own zone, the Defense has to get better and everything else will follow!!!

[@robertmorton6584]

Great step forward! Now comes the tinkering of the roster to take a bigger step next year! Stick to the YZERPLAN

[@timfarrell1579]

A couple of pieces away! They took a step forward next year playoffs 💥💥💥💥💥💥

[@bigbrad5382]

So with 1 - 4th overall and 1 - 9th overall in the last what, 10+ years? How are they suppose to get a 100pt guy?

[@chevelle1]

D mac wearing Komets logo?!?! Crazy. Just drive to Ft. Wayne to see the Walleye on the road there. I highly recommend Wings fans go to a Walleye game. Huntington center is top notch. Actually prefer Walleye games than going to Wings games since they left the Joe. Red Wings organization screwed their working class, die hard fans over with the design of LCA. Extended the lower bowl way up (charge lower bowl ticket prices), then stacked the corporate suites on that, then finally the upper bowl which is practically on the roof and such a steep angle that makes you dizzy. The seating/viewing at the Joe was much better. Equal sized lower and upper bowls, then the suites at the very top (where they belong). Lower/mid portion of upper bowl at the Joe was the equivalent to high lower bowl at LCA. I don’t know how any fans can really enjoy upper bowl at LCA. Feels like you’re on the roof. Same mentality that did that is the same mentality that decided to desecrate the iconic winged wheel jersey with a stupid ad patch. Chris Illitch doesn’t have the same understanding and connection with us Wings fans and Hockeytown as his dad did.

[@Celticzombi]

This time last year we were all hitting the Tankathon sims…time to build on the season this was and try not to Buffalo or Ottawa it

[@bartsanders1553]

Winning streaks are a hell of a drug😂

[@user-rw9rs6di9n]

When goalies leave Detroit and do better, I think that shows Defense might make goalies here better (adding this: if our D is better and can take pressure off of them.)

[@permafrost2064]

Are you guys really saying we need a 100 point guy to win? This team is FINE offensively, this is not a "glaring" issue as Dmac said several times, defense is. You should not have to score 4-5 goals a game to win and you shouldn't have to make 13 3rd period comebacks. An improved d-core would also improve the consistency of the forward scoring.

[@Winged_Wagon_Nation]

But it’s not just the D core. It’s team defense as a whole. The forwards play defense also. Also if you had more top 6 talent, you would be able to stay in the offensive zone more consistently, which means you’re not constantly playing defense in your own zone.

[@seancccccccc]

There’s no excuse to place Raymond on any line other than the first next year. Including 1st line powerplay as he’s earned it. He is a potential 100 point guy playing 1st line minutes with confidence

[@jimmiebull1]

neither panthers or vegas have 100 point players

[@spencerdobkin9479]

And either did St. Louis when they won the cup in 2019

[@magnusshrugged]

Oh... And Raymond sure looks a lot like Yzerman..... And a gamer too!

[@stevo48602]

Gary B is the worst thing for hockey since…. Well, he is the worst thing hockey has had.

[@redizit]

You guys all talk but no one actually describes why a player is good and why they fit in a line with other players, me and my buddies have more insight than this entire conversation

[@Migmaw]

Lucas Raymond lead the team in points with 72 followed by Larkin at 69. Career year for Raymond 27pts better than last year, Seider same exact points that got him a Calder at 42pts and the Wings Goals for are among the top teams! Better than most the teams in the East in the playoffs. So whats the missing element? A solid Starter or a better back up than Reimer. Lyon was good and the Wings were rocking until he got injured then Larkin got injured twice. Next year will be better than this year and Lolande isnt to blame at all

[@stevebell4853]

Missing element? Easy. A better defense. Check goals against. Has not been great for even 1 single season since Yzerman returned. He fixed the offense. Good shit. Now do the defense. This also includes goaltending. Not such an easy task. There is also other shit to do. Raymond/Seider re-ups. Losing some cap space there. Deciding which UFA's stay. Do you go with vets again to stay competitive or do you go youth and get some cap space back - if going youth, do fans have patience for potential of backward step.......lots of things to consider. Do you re-up Kane, does he even want to (no, in my opinion). Probably going to be the most critical off season yet. Get it wrong and the fans will be hunting heads. Fans getting VERY testy.

[@Migmaw]

@@stevebell4853 Facts. I think Kane will resign if things shake out differently and we she'd dead weight and keep Edvinson up bring up Johansson and maybe Wallinder, bring up Kasper and keep Bergeren up or trade him cause he wants out or to play, we have Carter Mazur the Lazer and Lombardi that could step up. See how GR does in the playoffs as well as Cossa who may make the leap next year. For sure questions only Stevie knows the answers to and your right at few things at play one step wrong can screw up the whole season as we saw when Larkin got hurt nobody stepped up and I believe that's why Raymond fought with Chariot in practice and then went on his tear scoring frequently

[@davidlaffin5747]

The wings don't have a number 2 center! That's a problem!

[@cornbread144]

As much as I want to see us have better goaltending , I hope they don’t rush Cosa’s development. I think we need better depth in our defense but idk we’ll see. I still trust yzerman , just takes time

[@krimsonshadow94]

If ya wanna bring up Cossa, you gotta sure up that defence first, no way you ship a kid out there with that, if we dont, then keep him GR next year and him and Trey can rotate

[@jakerux6092]

Yzerman has work to do, but dealing Berggren to move off of Husso or Chiarot might be the first decision. Can buyout Holl for very little. Can deal Fabbri for a pick swap.

[@jjcalvillo]

The 1C clears space for the Larkins, Raymonds and DeBrincats. He makes it harder to defend the whole team.

[@user-js3gs7du3h]

Homeboy thinks with a 100 point scorer you don't go thru "dry runs" such as worse than 5 - 7. The duphuss must have forgotten about Edmonton's stretch at the beginning of the year. Just an empty mouth babbling is all I hear.

[@AN-pr8fy]

,,,because there is no other Scotty Bowman!

[@Migmaw]

Who's to blame? Nobody but if you wanna place blame its with the players who didn't step up when Larkin and Lyon were out or do we blame them for getting injured? Back at the trade deadline some were yere mad Stevie Y didn't bet the farm and i said then its not time to bet the farm Stevie still figuring out what he actually has and DMac to his credit tried to tamp down the excitement because he knows what a playoff contending team looks like and ive watched 45yrs of hockey and ive seen teams bet the farm and ive seen the Wings in the 25yr playoff run. Look at the leafs they have 4 or 5 of the top forwards in the league and other than that what do they have? No championship! The Wings are knocking on the door now and had they got in they would've gained good experience but the playoff push was good experience too and they now know what it takes to get there and that the last quarter of the season you cant let up and it gets harder and harder closer to the end of the season so bank every point early. Next year full time Edvinson? Kasper? Johansson? Lombardi? Cossa? Hopefully someone better than Reimer as back up. Point is the future is hella bright and were about to be spoiled with playoff runs every year so hold on and let it simmer

[@lyleknight9012]

Defense is still not playoff ready. Seider and a bunch of bums.

[@kellyoneill1943]

It's A Shame the way they got eliminated 😡 Torts pulled his goalie when tied And Not knowing that the Wings eliminated them tying ....? Thanks Torts and Caps😡 You didn't help yourselves or us You only helped the team we both didnt want to win!!! Also The Stupid rule of tiebreaker....Caps lost 2 more games then we did in OT and they get in?

[@user-zp7bs4tc1r]

Yzerman was 32 years-old when he captained Wings to first Cup in 42 years ----- Larkin, 27, will be 32 years old when he leads Wings to their first Cup in two decades. Mark it down...😊

[@DigitalNomadInvestor]

Their defensive game overall sucked. They are Keystone Cops in their own end. The easiest fix here is install a disciplined defensive strategy with man to man positioning or at least have the centers cover their guy in the Wings slot, which they don't do. Look at the abuse Holmstrom used to get in front of opponents net. Who does that on the Wings? No one. I was taught that opponents who stand in your slot get punished, pushed out of the way, tied up, etc. Wi the Wings, they puck watch and hope they can intercept a cross ice pass, which they usually fail to stop. Every player can improve their defensive positioning if they are taught to do so. Look at how the Wings players collapse in their zone like they are killing a penalty. Or, also notice how the players are watching the puck and not who their defensive assignment is? Improving a little bit (while other teams improve too) and not squeaking into the playoffs is not to be celebrated after seven years of missing the playoffs. At this rate, they won't compete for the Cup for 12+ seasons, after the current/near future core are on the downside of their paying days.

[@zonkerharris1144]

Did you guys cover the fact that Philadelphia tied 1-1 w/ Washington , still 4:00mins left pull their goalie Aaaannnddd get scored on. Pretty despicable. Especially since The Wings had scored w/ 0:3.3 to go into OT and kept their hopes alive.

[@rynor7132]

These are the problems or blind spots the Wings have as I see it. There are some good things they are doing, but if we want to get back on top, I think this is what we need to see. 1. Scoring: We do not have a single Elite player. We have some good players on offence, some decent players on Defense. Larkin and Kane and a couple others are really good goal scorers, but they are not Austin Matthews or Nakita Kucherov or Connor McJesus. Kane used to be an Elite scorer but I do not think he is there anymore. Not saying he isn’t good but he isn’t at the level he used to be. We need at least one, preferably two elite goal scorers. If you look at the 20 years we were a dynasty, we had about 5 maybe more elite goal scorers. 2. Physicality: this Is one area where I think the wings are completely worthless in. We do not have a single player who is really physical. There are reasons why the Leafs, Bruins, and Florida are at the top of the pecking order and one of them their physical play. Again, If you look at the 20 years we were a dynasty and we were one of the most physical teams in the league. Even Larionov and Yzerman would get physical once in a while. Right now rather than laying people on their backs, we pull up and skate around them. Like seriously, lay that hit on them and let them know they are playing the Detroit Red Wings. . We do not have a single enforcer on our team. we allow ourselves to get thrown around the ice by teams that are really physical Again, in the 20 years we had a dynasty, we had numerous enforcers and EVERYONE on the team got physical and laid out the hits. 3. Defense: our defense absolutely sucks. We don’t hit, we don’t win puck battles in our zone, We need some solid defensive players. I love that we got Petry, the son of a hometown hero, but he is just an OK defenseman. We need better defensemen. 4. The Crease: for the love of all that is holy, stop giving up the crease freely. If a player is gonna set up in front of the crease, he needs to know, he is going to pay a heavy price for that sliver of ice. Right now they set up there without fear or consequence. Remember the punishment Holmstrom used to take for the team to set up in the crease? 5. Shooting: last night’s game against the caps was the highest shooting we have had in a long long time. However, it is pretty comment to leave the first period with less that 10 shot, usually it is only 5 or 6. We have gotta put pucks on goal. 6. Coaching: Lalonde has got to go. He is not making any adjustments to play. There was no change when we were on that eternal losing streak. No firing up the players. Nothing. 7. Enthusiasm: it makes me sick when I see the team come out and they are skating like they are dragging parachutes and then in the waning seconds of the game it is like it is a totally different team out there. They turn on the jets, the passing is on point and they are putting shots on net. If they can do that in the final minutes of the game then they can do that for the entire game.

[@magnusshrugged]

It's called PARITY. They made the Playoffs in heroic fashion, so did Washington.... F-ing tie breaker won, we lost. Nobody thought we would make it this year. So the Wings basically overachieved on Yzerman's budget. NOW... He can spend the $$ making them a playoff team from the beginning of next season. GO WINGS!!

[@timouwinga5758]

Every season since Steve took over, the team has gotten closer. This year is about as close as you can get and miss. Watch us win the lottery this year with a .8% chance lol

[@lyleknight9012]

What took so long for edvinsson to get called up

[@Weeping_Somnambulist]

Eligibility. He plays too many games in the NHL and he's no longer a rookie, meaning they lose a year of rookie contract. I think that's how it works anyway.

[@Mjiw-hn2zm]

Imagine we got rid of copps contract and replaced him with compher then replaced compher a spot with stamkos

[@MPDLR]

PROUD of the team- have bene so since the DeadWings days of the 80s. NOT a bandwagon fan here. BUT - -- NEED A COACH - not a cub-scout mom who kisses boo-boos. 2.)Need an enforcer - no more Dylan and Lucas getting beaten up and injuredSIGN D-MAC FOR A 30 SECOND SHIFT PER GAME FOR CHRISS SAKES! But seriously - it's time other teams know they can't pick on our stars. 3.)This is the hard one: A real goalie. I said this when the playoff spot was ours, I say it now. Hoping for the best.

[@spencerdobkin9479]

It's very frustrating. There are no excuses for getting 0 pts in 7 games in a playoff push. None. That's coaching. They were playing flat out terrible for 2 weeks. It's a failure they didn't make it you can't go back to the beginning of the season bc the expectations changed when they built the 9 pt cushion. Yes there are positives but ultimately they failed. I doubt Yzerman changes coaches but I think they should. They need Kane to come back that is huge. They need a #1 center and goalie.

[@joextreme]

I think breaking ties for wild card spots should be both wild card teams play an extra season game against each other to determine who makes it in not some most wins in regulation gaga.

[@stevebell4853]

Terrible idea. You cant have some teams in the playoffs having to play extra games, that creates a fatigue issue which gives their opponents an unfair advantage and if anyone gets injured in that extra game you'll get lynched lol Who plays at home? To make it fair you've now got to make it best of 3 so that both teams get a home game unless you play the game at a neutral venue. If going neutral, which venue gets the game because thats extra revenue and all the other owners will complain that they're not hosting it. This is getting more and more complicated, I dont think you've thought this through. Case in point.....detroit vs caps in playout game.....detroit wins but larkin gets injured. So now Detroit goes into the playoffs having had to play 1 extra game than New York who will be fresher as a result, plus they're without Larkin for the entire 1st round. Would you be happy with that scenario? Like I said, I dont think you've thought this through.

[@joextreme]

@@stevebell4853 Yeah the Larkin scenario being injured would be bad considering we had a 7 game losing streak when he was out ha, but it was just an idea, Capitals vs Red Wings for the final Wild Card Spot would draw viewership. i did think about the round robin games when NHL came back during covid and that was exciting for those teams who were close getting into the playoffs, but the risk of injuries and so on as you mentioned. It's hockey. Injuries are part of the game.

[@stevebell4853]

@@joextreme I mean I dont blame you for coming up with something because the way we got done was awful. If I had to be honest, I actually had the same idea as you but wrote it off when I thought deeper about it. 1 other option would be to change the tie breaker metric because everything is wrong about the way they did us. My other sport is soccer. Premier league uses goal difference as the first tie break metric. Use that, and we've destroyed the caps without having to play any extra games and the result becomes infinitely fairer. But like I said, cant blame you for trying to come up with something.....at least you havent just sat around crying about it.

[@joextreme]

@@stevebell4853 Yeah I really wish that crazy goal by Flyers would have not been disallowed, we would have a lot of cheerful Wing fans today ha, but it's time to move on.

[@tombarr949]

Don't forget when Larking got hurt in a hockey collision and Perron tried to assault someone who wasn't involved in the collision. Did the Wings lose all 6 games of Perron's suspension?? There were a few other dumb application of Ye Olde Canadian Hocky Code. Play smart like Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Yzerman did, not the Hanson brothers.

[@mysticone1798]

The last game against the Capitols at home would have been a much better win than the spectacular overtime win against Montreal. Detroit's 2nd and 3rd lines don't produce enough, and never step up when they're needed. Simple as that. Capitols stepped up, the Wings didn't.

[@Wheels8504]

Yzerman signed horrible Defensemen in the summer. Get rid of half during the summer. But overall? Bettman and his horrible ruling is to blame. I don't care what team it is. I'm a Red Wings fan but I've also always been a hockey fan. The rule is bad no matter how you look at it. It should be overall wins only. If that's the same number, then you go with regulation wins. It's really simple. With that said, they are slowly becoming a better team. They're getting there.

[@spencerdobkin9479]

I agree the rule is bad but you can't let it come down to the last game that's on them.

[@Wheels8504]

@@spencerdobkin9479 We are a better team than last year as far as points are concerned. But yes you're right.

[@richstiltner2246]

Stevie knows, He drafted all those guys. We were a 500 team at best and Larkin seem to literally carry this team in big stretches obvious in his absence. Look guys this isnt the 90s as muuch as i want that! Think of it as the end of the dead wings era, We dont have a superstar yet. But Raymond,Seider,Edvinson are shaping up nicely. Look we were lucky to be in the run the entire season all the way up until the last game be appreciative

[@joextreme]

One thing is for this years Draft, draft Ryder Ritchie

[@YooperHatesOhioState]

This would’ve been avoided if we got the job done against the caps and pens

[@carmanwright2889]

Vegas has one guy that’s over a point a game and not by much.

[@mattmcnick]

you dont need a 100+ guy, everyone knows thats not the formula. when the blues won the cup they didnt have a guy over 77pts. its all about the depth. the wings had 9 players with 40+ points. very few other teams that could say that. with better goaltending and stronger depth defense this Wings team is going on a run next season. Theres plenty of talent coming down the pipe. Horrible take D-Mac - Dylan is the 1C. I want to see just about the same group come back next season, another year of growth and seeing how tight this team is, they are going to surpass what they did this year without a doubt. What happens if you get a 100+ guy and he gets hurt during the season? you cant rely on that.

[@Obrian81]

Lelonde is totally not worth keeping as Coach.. his Press conferences are terrible.. he basically calls this season a "Cute" type season.. 🥴🙄😡 I stand by Yzerman, he just needs a big name Coach, If I were Yzerman I would try to bring in Jon Cooper from Tampa.. since Yzerman hired him there, plus Tampa is heading into a rebuild after the playoffs is over... Plus he needs to spend money on FA's or acquire a All-Star Defenseman to pair him with Seider

[@stevebell4853]

I'd take Cooper in a hot minute if it was possible.

[@justinalley3399]

steve yzerman should be on the hotseat

[@montanastranger]

Get Stevie Y's pic off the thumbnail! Total anarchy, whats this world coming too! 😊

[@buzzmessinger4510]

If you have a system, the player will surface. Detroit didn't have a good system.

[@redizit]

We won 1 more game than the Capitals and we lost the playoff spot

[@gordvandersar8113]

John "tortellini"s chq. from Ovie is in the mail

[@a.andrewhussey6403]

The Cat blew it! Isn’t that what the Wings got him for 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@matthewburkhart528]

The team lacks continuity in passing and flow of the game. The passing is atrocious,the constant line changes meant that these guys can't remember how a certain guy plays. Yzerman knows better than anyone what needs to be addressed.

[@shawntait115]

The Wings totally collapsed and blew the playoffs. Anybody giving them a break is weak minded.

[@Mark-ly4lq]

With a 82 game season for Larkin, we would've been ahead of Tampa. Big red flag though

[@user-sw3ki2kk9s]

They were a 100 point team if they had had only a mediocre March so I don’t buy the argument they weren’t ready. What happened in March? Larkin and flu bug?

[@ironwolfgaming9632]

Goalie.

[@dipanjanbhattacharya4325]

Defense was bad for most of the season. Cannot blame the goalies who faced shots from front of the net time and again. That is defense issue. Sider is good but needs to get faster. Why could they not play like the last 3 games in March - motivation maybe?

[@scotey]

Seider needs to get faster? As in a faster skater? He's not Cale Makar, but he's already a strong skater for a defenseman his size.

[@philhamilton8731]

Mo is a stud. Is he perfect? Nope, but even Lids made mistakes from time to time. That kid puts his body on the line for the team and logs top minutes against the leagues best talent night after night. What he needs is a complimentary partner. The Wings are thin on D, especially righties.

[@scotey]

@@philhamilton8731 He's still figuring out his game. Is he a 60-point guy who plays both ends and can join the rush? Or is he a minute-muncher who blocks shots and punishes people in front of the net? We've seen him be both at various points in his career. But it's hard to be both every night. Ghost's arrival allowed Mo to focus on his defensive game, but I'd still rather see him be the 60-point guy. Those guys are rare. He's got that in him.

[@seanmichael5751]

DMac one of my heros but totally disagree. Knights took the cup last year without a single 30 goal scorer. they did it by playing as a team not by having something shiney that dings a lot of bells

[@oldjarhead386]

Scoring was streaky, poorly coached and lacking talent. At this rate it will be another 15-20 years before they are true contenders.

[@thegamingdrew3105]

Next year they'll make it

[@RobertJones-kl5ty]

Maybe. Maybe not. It's going to hurt if we lose Kane this off-season. A lot will depend on fixing defense. The Wings won more than a few games that the could have lost. Defense isn't protecting the goalie. Yzerman should be thinkiong defense first, but is he? Whose left in the system after Edvinsson besides Axel Sandin Pellikka?

[@rburge200]

You know who fired their coach again? Buffalo! It's a good thing all the people screaming to FiRe tHe CoAch aren't in control. Year 2 and Lalonde has a team with no superstar and a third string goalie 1 point away from a playoff birth! Personally I don't like the man style of defense that he coaches, however if you have good players that structure does work, I'd just rather have my big strong defensmen gaurding the house and not chasing players out to the point.

[@JohnEButton]

I'm so proud of our team for fighting as hard as they did. To me, they made the playoffs and next year we'll be stanely cup contenders

[@dj4aces]

The funny thing is, the loser point in the NHL first came about in 1921. The first sub-.500 team to make the playoffs in NHL history was Chicago, in 1926-1927. No excluses for missing, just retool and do better next season.

[@Sean_Downey]

Bad management, bad coaching, bad defense, bad goaltending, and continued stubbornness to keep the talent in GR.

[@christopherellison5689]

8 straight years the NHL playoffs are dead to me

[@ninjaxjets7821]

LYON>HUSSO

[@AustinWestbro]

Anyone calling for Lalonde to be fired after a successful season and only his 2nd season with the team is completely brain dead

[@philhamilton8731]

I don't think he goes anywhere. I was deeply frustrated with him at times, but we don't know what we don't know. It's not like he is the sole decision maker in the franchise or behind the bench. They were scrapping for a playoff spot until the last game of the season. Definitely a step forward.

[@travman228]

I have to agree with this statement. I think SY brought him on because he was the coach to BEGIN the turnaround. That being said I hope he draws up a better defensive strategy

[@AustinWestbro]

@@travman228 you can strategize all you want. If you don’t have capable defensemen, your defense will suck.

[@bradtackett3541]

So Free Falling at the end of the last two season is acceptable?

[@AustinWestbro]

@@bradtackett3541 so improving 11 points from last season isn’t acceptable?

[@GamesNGains21]

My take, I don't think you NEED a 100+ point guy. Look at Dallas or Carolina. Robertson has 80 and Aho has like 90. More than Wings players yes, but I don't think you need a 100+ point player to be at the top in this league. I believe we will take a step forward next year and here is why. Unpopular opinion maybe, but chemistry and experience is getting overlooked here. Our team has changed drastically pretty much every year over the last 4-5 years. Its tough to build chemistry when new players are constantly brought in and shipped out. I'm not harping on Yzerman for this, it's absolutely a part of the rebuild process and that's fine. I think with Raymond taking a huge step forward, Larkin taking a step forward from a leadership standpoint, Debrincat being here for a year, Seider taking a step, some younger players getting experience and figuring out their roles, etc. Our CORE is coming together and that's so much more important than people realize. Obviously I do think our defense needs to be improved and the goalie situation needs to be figured out, but even if we make zero changes, this team makes the playoffs next year. This last month of the season was not pretty, but it was the experience we needed amd sometimes that's all it takes. All in all, I do hope we make a few "bigger" moves during the offseason, I beg Kane resigns, I hope Berggren is full time next season, but we will be a playoff team next year, and we will be a contender 3-4 years down the road. Yzerman is doing this perfectly. It's just hard to see without looking at the situation from a birdseye view.

[@matthew5398]

I blame the bum as flyers for throwing their game