Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a behind-the-paywall article questioning whether the Red Wings can earn a playoff spot in the stacked Atlantic Division this upcoming season:
Is [Detroit’s] legitimate hope that the team can buck those odds, take the standings and if not turn them upside down, at least shake them up enough to shake out a playoff spot? Even GM Steve Yzerman is wondering how that development might come about.
Are the Red Wings ready to make a playoff run during the 2023-24 campaign?
“I’m not sure honestly,” Yzerman frankly admitted. “To sit here and for me to say we’re definitely gonna make the playoffs or whatnot, I’m not sure.”
Looking at the clubs above Detroit in the Atlantic, his concern appears warranted. Tick those teams off one at a time and you tell us which are the ones about to take a Humpty Dumpty-like fall to clear a playoff path for Detroit.
Continued (paywall); honestly, even this early on, my hope is that the Red Wings can snag a wild card spot. The Maple Leafs, Panthers and Lightning are going exactly nowhere other than the playoffs, and one underestimates the Patrice-Bergeron-and-David-Krejci-less Boston Bruins at their peril.
