The Red Wings’ era of domination in the 1990’s and 2000’s, winning four Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008) in twenty years, is a memory as outdated as 1990’s technology now. The Red Wings have not fielded a competitive team in over six years, which was the last time they made the playoffs. However, this could be the year they start a new era of dominance and make the playoffs.
Unfortunately for all Red Wings fans, Detroit has the 2nd longest active streak for missing the playoffs. The latter years of Ken Hollands’ reign as GM, trading away valuable future draft picks for old, washed-up veterans and signing bad contracts, destroyed the past six-years’ worth of Red Wings teams.
It also didn’t help that he gave Justin Abdelkador a 7-year, $4.25M contract, Frans Nielson a 6-year, $5.25M contract, and Danny Dekeyser a 6-year, $5M contract. Holland really does just give the worst parting gifts ever.
Anyway, those contracts have either expired or are close to expiring by the time I am writing this, and the Detroit Red Wings are on the rise once again. A brand-new core of young, talented players has been molded by new GM and Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman.
Players like Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider (the 2021/22 Calder Winner), Lucas Raymond, Jakub Vrana, Filip Zadina, Tyler Bertuzzi, Simon Edvinsson, Gustav Lindstrom, and Sebestian Cossa are the present and future of the Red Wings. They will only continue to get better as they play more with one another.
Plus, the Red Wings hold the #8 overall pick in the draft. So, you can be sure Yzerman will be adding one more talented young player to Detroit’s young core. This core group of players should be competing for the Stanley Cup in 3-5 years’ time.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. What about this upcoming season? Can Detroit end their playoff drought? I would say yes, though they need more winning, veteran experience players to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Detroit finished 26pts off the Washington Capitals for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference last season. In terms of wins, that is thirteen wins less than the Capitals.
Yeah, not an easy feat to overcome.
But Detroit is in luck. Both the Washington Capitals (8th seed last season) and the Boston Bruins (7th seed) are coming into the 2021/22 Season injury-riddled and pressed tight against the cap.
For the Bruins, they will be without Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron (if he retires) and have only $2.3M in cap space. The Capitals will be without long-time 1st-line center Niklas Backstrom and have a little over 8M in cap space but have to resign over half their starting lineup.
If Detroit can draft well and sign a few solid, capable veteran wingers and defenders then they will have the opportunity to closing that 26pt gap. Their main concern should be the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets, both teams who had bad years last year and have playoff-potential rosters.
I think they will end up being Detroit’s main rivals for the 8th playoff spot.
It is too early to tell if Detroit can close the gap to the Top-8 and end their 6-year playoff drought. But if anyone can do it, I believe in Steve Yzerman, new head coach Derek Lalonde (former Tampa Bay assistant), and this young Red Wings core.
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