The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote an article which discusses the pressure under which both Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, the Wings’ coaching staff and Detroit’s players face this upcoming season:
The Red Wings have come close to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. In 2023-24, their 91 points tied for the final wild-card spot, but they lost out to the Washington Capitals on a tiebreaker. Last season, a midyear coaching change saw Detroit roar back to life under new head coach Todd McLellan, miraculously getting back into playoff position by the end of February — only to collapse in March and miss the postseason by five points.
After that unraveling, the Red Wings finished last season with 86 points. It was the first time they had taken a step back in the standings since Yzerman took over, and the signs of frustration began to show. Detroit’s captain, Dylan Larkin, remarked at his year-end news conference that the team “didn’t gain any momentum from the trade deadline, and guys were kind of down about it” after Yzerman didn’t add any meaningful upgrades for the playoff chase.
Yzerman defended his approach at the deadline, saying his front office looked and hoped to improve the team, but that “there (were) no deals to bring in anyone of any significance that we really felt would make a difference — not just to make the playoffs this year, but to make us a better team in the long run, and to get us ultimately to where we’re going to go.”
Since he arrived, that has been one of Yzerman’s consistent messages: wanting to build a sustainable winner, not simply chase the closest or quickest path back to the playoffs.
“You can’t compete for the Stanley Cup, obviously, until you make the playoffs,” Yzerman said on the eve of this year’s training camp. “But our goal, again, is to be a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup. These rebuilds take time. How much time, I can’t really predict. Every one’s different.”
And in fairness, the Red Wings’ rebuild has yielded some positive results.
Continued (paywall)
