Red Wings finish 6th in The Athletic’s ‘salary cap era’ franchise rankings

The Athletic’s Sean Gentille and Michael Russo ranked the NHL’s 32 franchises by their performances during the salary cap era, and the Red Wings, not surprisingly, are riding the coattails of their Stanley Cup win in 2008:

6 (tie). Detroit Red Wings

Total: 27 points
2023: 6th (tie), 27 points

The Wings came within a tiebreaker of ending their playoff drought and breaking a tie with the Ducks — but instead it’s now at eight seasons and counting. The fact that they’re here at all is a testament to how good they were for the first decade of the Cap Era. It’s fair to wonder whether general manager Steve Yzerman is building a true contender around Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider and Co., but he’s finally assembled a group that’s capable of playing meaningful hockey. Is a roster without any glaring holes enough? It might be time to find out.

Total playoff years: 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 09SCF, 08SC, 07CF, 06

Playoff-only years: 8 | Conference finals: 1 | Cup finals: 1 | Cup wins: 1

Continued (paywall);

This is a lot higher than I thought the Wings would finish given their play over the past eight seasons, but some good news is welcome, even if it comes with the customary dig at both Yzerman and the Wings’ personnel (or lack thereof).