Playoffs? No Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman wasn’t willing to go there as the team’s main objective for the 2023-24 NHL season.

Likewise, coach Derek Lalonde isn’t ready to anoint his squad as playoff ready.

“I don’t know if we’re a playoff team, but we’re gonna have a heck of a lot of fun finding out,” Lalonde said.

Gettin' closer. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/elJxN9lSP5

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 10, 2023

As for the players, they’re much like the Detroit fanbase. Optimism abounds. Anticipation is building.

“Everybody is just excited to get started and see what we got,” Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta said.

With 10 new additions to the lineup, it’s certainly a different-looking club to the one that came up a dozen points shy of earning an invitation to the postseason dance last spring. Is it different better? Time will tell. However, taking the NHL preseason as any sort of tell on what the future holds for the Red Wings is not advisable.

“The preseason stuff, it’s hard to read too much into it,” Detroit forward David Perron said. “We didn’t play too many lineups that were good as far as all the guys.”

Red Wings Let Down Last Season

The playoffs were right there for the taking last season. Detroit was holding a postseason position as late as Febuary, but when push came to shove, the Red Wings were shoved aside.

“Last year we were close with 20 games left in the season but I don’t think we had enough,” Maatta said. “That kind of stung a little bit. I think everybody wanted to make it to the playoffs and we weren’t good enough last season.”

Good Morning, Hockeytown.

We play regular season hockey this week!

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 9, 2023

Perron is equally harsh in his assessment of why the team came up short of their objective last season.

“We didn’t prove much last year but I do think we made some strides,” Perron said. “We had those moments where we felt like the games were getting bigger and bigger and then we didn’t have enough.”

Can Detroit Find Six More Wins?

Based upon the fact that the team was 12 points in arrears of the final Eastern Conference postseason berth, simple math suggests the Red Wings will need to win at least six more games this season in order to be in the playoff discussion. That’s going to be easier said than done.

“There’s really nowhere to go in the division,” Lalonde said of the rugged Atlantic, where most prognostications are placing the Red Wings finishing seventh overall.

Why will this season be any different? The players point to the new faces as cause for believing the outcome can be positive.

“I think we’re going to defend better,” Maatta said. “We have lots of skill. I think playing with the puck, playing in the offensive zone. I think we can take control of games better.”

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Will it be enough to get over the hump and into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016? There’s the rub. While there’s no doubt that the Red Wings are a better, deeper squad, the rough rapids they must navigate could pull them under yet again.

“Of course (the playoffs) it’s a goal,” Lalonde said. “It’s been a goal of hockey for the last 100 years. But playing the right way, and establishing an identity, creating a little bit of a process will give us a chance to talk about that.

“Exactly where we were last year through three-quarters of the season. We were right there because we were playing the right way. Now we have to get there again.”

The post Lalonde: Should be Fun Watching Red Wings Chase Playoff Spot appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings were six wins short of qualifying for the NHL playoffs this season. They have now missed postseason for seven consecutive seasons. The last time they were in the postseason was 2016. The last time the Red Wings won a playoff series was 2013.

How do the Red Wings make up those six wins to get in next season?

Here are five happenings that help the Red Wings make up ground:

1. Sign Top-notch Backup Goaltender

The backup will get roughly 25 starts, and maybe more depending on Ville Husso’s level of play and injuries. Last season, the Red Wings’ backups only won 34.6% of those games.

The post Five Happenings That Could Put the Red Wings in the Playoffs (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings’ mission to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons involves the NHL equivalent of running with the bulls.

This morning, there are seven teams competing for two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.  Those seven teams are all within five points of each other. They all boast points percentages between .527 and .573. That’s too many bulls running hard over a short distance.

Just over seven weeks remain in the NHL season. It ends on April 14.

As is also the case with the bulls in Pamploma, Spain, winning involves remaining unscathed while making a dash for the finish line.

from D.C! pic.twitter.com/FBmcZ1tvFj

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 20, 2023

The Red Wings are three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders who currently sit in the two wild-card spots. The Islanders were wounded over the weekend when key performer Mathew Barzal suffered a lower body injury. The Islanders announced today that he is out indefinitely.

Detroit is looking to complete a successful road trip by downing the struggling Capitals Tuesday in the nation’s capital. The Caps have lost four in a row and are 5-10-0 since Jan. 11. Washington has been outscored 17-7 in their four-game losing streak.

They are 0-3 since their captain Alex Ovechkin took a leave of absence to deal with the issues surrounding the death of his father.  NHL.com’s Tom Guilliti reported that Ovechkin could return to the lineup later this week.

Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said he's hoping Alex Ovechkin will be back at some point this week.

"I haven’t communicated with him, but we’ll see. He’s dealing with his stuff at home and we’ll see how it goes."

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 20, 2023

Ovechkin on Leave of Absence

Without Ovechkin, the Capitals are averaging two goals per game. Even with Ovechkin, the Capitals rank 22nd in scoring with an average of three goals per game. When you take Ovechkin’s 32 goals out of the equation, Washington doesn’t have anyone who has scored more than 13 goals.

Since New Year’s Day, the Capitals have played 19 games and given four or more goals in eight of those games. Only four times they have given up under three goals during that span.

The Capitals haven’t missed the playoffs since 2014. With the trade deadline approaching, Washington general manager Brian MacLellan will have decisions to make about whether he will make a trade to help his team.

The Red Wings are 1-0-1 against Washington this season.

The Red Wings are looking to rebound from Saturday’s 4-2 lose to the Seattle Kraken that ended their five-game winning streak. If they can down the Capitals, they would complete a 4-1 road trip.

Detroit is still playing without injured Lucas Raymond. He still has not resumed practicing with the team.   The Red Wings may opt to use Jakub Vrana against his former team. He was recalled recently by the Red Wings from their Grand Rapids farm team, but hasn’t played in any games.

The post Red Wings Start Running Playoff Gauntlet Tuesday in Washington appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Boston Bruins are a more accomplished team than the Detroit Red Wings. But they have not been showing that of late. Since Jan. 24, the Bruins are 4-5-4. Meanwhile, the Red Wings have won three of our their last four and four of their last six.

The Bruins are still eight points ahead of Detroit and have two games in hand. But that is an improvement over where the Red Wings were two weeks ago.  One concern for the Bruins is their scoring has been sub-par.

Over the past 11 games, the Bruins are scoring an average of 1.90 goals per game. Brad Marchand’s suspension did not help. By contrast, the Red Wings are averaging 3.77 goals per game over the past nine games.

However, there are signs that Bruins forward David Pastrnak is about to heat up.

Boston Hockey Now  has reported the Bruins are expected to be active in the trade market. Today, the website offered that the Bruins could be interested in Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson, son of former NHL player Dave Manson. They have also talked to the Arizona Coyotes about Jakob Chychrun.

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Rumors of the Day

Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Penguins are zeroing in on middle-six wingers on the NHL trade market. Also,  Montreal Canadiens winger Artturi Lehkonen and defenseman Ben Chiarot might be traded this week.

Around the NHL

Detroit:  Detroit Red Wings have seven rental properties available for contending teams

Florida: The Florida Panthers  are playing well, but they still plan to make significant moves before the deadline.

NYI: Is New York Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck headed to Colorado

Philly: Former UMass and current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Justin Braun is mentioned in several trade rumors.

Florida: The Florida Panthers  are playing well, but they still plan to make significant moves before the deadline.

Vegas: Jack Eichel scored his first goal a Vegas Golden Knights in a 4-1 triumph against the San Jose Sharks.

Washington: While the Washington Capitals will likely be players on the trade market, they could be getting an internal addition back soon in T. J. Oshie

Colorado: Hockey Now offers the latest on the  Claude Giroux to the Avalanche NHL trade rumor

The post The Daily: Are Boston Bruins Leaving the Door Open for Red Wings? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The gambling industry believes there are 25 NHL teams, including the expansion Seattle Kraken, with a better chance to make the playoffs than the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit is listed at 10/1 odds on betonline.com’s opening playoff odds. The Red Wings haven’t qualified for the NHL playoffs since 2015-16 when they lost in five games in the opening round to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Betonline.com lists the Arizona Coyotes (16/1)  and Anaheim Ducks  (16/1) with the longest playoff odds, followed by the Buffalo Sabres (14/1), Ottawa Senators (12/1), Columbus Blue Jackets (11/1) and the Red Wings.

In case you are wondering, the Kraken are at 20/27 or -135, meaning you’d have to beat  $135 to win $100.

If you believe the Red Wings have a chance, the 10/1 odds has its reward. That’s $1000 payoff on a $100 bet. If you look at the bottom six teams,  the Red Wings might have the best potential to be a surprise. The Ducks still don’t have much scoring. The Blue Jackets don’t have a true No. 1 center. The Sabres have traded away Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen. Plus they are working on moving Jack Eichel. The Senators have some impressive young talent, but the team is probably two years away. The Coyotes’ strategy seems to be to trade away their best players.

The post Playoff Odds Say the Detroit Red Wings are Only Better than Five Teams appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.