What seems to be a broken record, Detroit Red Wings fans find themselves sitting in the same position that they often have been the last few seasons, hoping and praying for a playoff spot. As it stands right now, the Red Wings currently sit just a few spots out of being the final Eastern Conference wild card team. If you’re a Red Wings fan, you know that this should not come as a surprise, given that it has been extremely frustrating to be a Red Wings fan these last couple of seasons.
During the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 NHL season, the Red Wings held playoff spots for long periods of time during the regular season, yet during the final few months of the regular season, they lost a multitude of games, leading to dropping out of playoff positions. Both of these two seasons ended with very close runs in an attempt to make the playoffs, yet they fell short. Because of this, Red Wings fans now feel another sense of deja vu, as for the third season in a row, the Wings seem to be dropping games faster than ever, coming closer and closer to missing the playoffs. While it can be frustrating, the Red Wings didn’t fall to this spot by coincidence. So, how have the Red Wings progressed this season, and what has led to the Red Wings’ current playoff push?
The start of the NHL season had Red Wings fans buzzing, holding the number one spot in the Eastern Conference for weeks, and even after dropping games, they still held a playoff spot for months. From Oct. all the way through early Feb., the skies could not look clearer for the Red Wings, looking for a hopeful playoff berth. During this time, the Red Wings were grateful to have very few injuries hit the team, as they steamrolled their way through most of their schedule. One of the major reasons for a lot of these wins was veteran goalie John Gibson.
In recent years, the Red Wings have struggled to have a real franchise goalie, bouncing around with young, less talented goalies. Due to this, General Manager Steve Yzerman made a bold move to acquire star goalie Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks, who had a slow start with the Red Wings, but has since been lights out. As of Mar. 20, Gibson has recorded a 26-15-3 record as a starter with 2.53 GAA and a 907 SV%, playing a major role in big Red Wings wins this season. Yzerman also made huge moves this trade deadline, trading for veteran forward David Perron from Ottawa, who had been with the Red Wings in past years.
Easily their biggest move this trade deadline was trading for defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues. Signing Faulk was major news, as Yzerman has been quiet in recent trade deadlines, which has been met with backlash. This trade was in hopes of filling the Red Wings’ biggest hole, their defense. Faulk addressed the Red Wings major needs, specifically, a top-four right-shot defender, in hopes of solidifying the Red Wings blue line as the playoffs approach. Bringing 11 goals and 32 points to a team that lacks defensive scoring, hopefully, we see more of Faulk’s elite skill and talent emerge as a Wing.
Despite these big moves, the Red Wings’ post-Olympic hockey has been a struggle to watch, as the Wings have lost several of their games returning from a long break. A huge loss for the Red Wings currently is Dylan Larkin, who is dealing with a lower back injury, leaving the Red Wings with a major hole in their offense. As well as this, the Red Wings have one of the toughest strength-of-schedules remaining, meaning that Red Wings opponents going into the playoffs are some of the best teams in the league. With final games such as the Flyers, Devils, Lightning, and Panthers, the Red Wings’ destiny this year could very well come down to the wire.
While the Red Wings are currently on a downward slope, there are positives. For one, the Red Wings are dealing with injuries, and once most of these players return, such as Dylan Larkin and Michael Rasmussen, the team will be more in pre-olympic form. As of right now, there are a few games left in the NHL regular season, meaning that, as mentioned earlier, every game for the Red Wings is a big one. In a scenario where the Red Wings make the playoffs, they would have to win about six to seven of their final games, putting them between 95 and 99 points. As well as this, the Red Wings would have to keep ahead of teams such as the Islanders and the Senators.
Despite this, the sad scenario where the Red Wings miss the playoffs, became a reality. The Red Wings found themselves in an unfortunate position into late Mar. and Early Apr., they sat just a few points below the final wild card position. Even so, between Mar. 21st and Apr. 11th, the Red Wings obtained a record of 3-8, losing incredibly important games to The Blue Jackets, The Senators, and The Devils. Because of this, along with The Senators winning five of the last six, the Red Wings failed to clinch a playoff spot, for the tenth consecutive year.
Even though I had my hopes for the majority of this season, the past few weeks have been incredibly hard to watch as a fan, and despite how badly I wanted them to finally make the playoffs, somewhere deep down in me, I knew there was little hope in my heart. As much as I and many other Detroit hockey fans love the Red Wings, they always seem to find a way to grab your heart, break it, repair it, and then shatter it into pieces one final time.
Regardless of all the positive things that could be said about the current state of the Red Wings, the fact remains that the Red Wings still have yet to make the playoffs in 10 years, and they now hold the longest current drought in the NHL. Yet for many fans, the question still lingers: can the Red Wings break the curse eventually? Will they finally break the curse next year, or will the streak extend to an excruciating 11 years?
