Red Wings’ Hot Streak Has Them Near Playoff Spot, But They Need Help

After a terrible start to the current NHL regular season, the Detroit Red Wings have pushed their way back into playoff contention with an outstanding stretch of victories. Since the Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde and replaced him with veteran bench boss Todd McLellan on Dec. 26, they’ve gone 8-2-0, and they now sit three standings points behind the Boston Bruins for the second Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

There’s no question it’s been an impressive run, and because of it, Detroit is now relevant again. But, before anyone gets carried away thinking the Wings are going to continue rampaging their way up the ranks of the Atlantic Division, we need to examine the immediate road that’s ahead for Detroit and guesstimate whether they’ll be able to edge out a slew of teams currently battling them for a wild-card spot.

To be sure, the Red Wings’ upcoming schedule ought to temper expectations for them. In their next 12 games, Detroit will be taking on many above-average teams in direct competition for playoff spots, including the Tampa Bay Lightning three times, Dallas, Philadelphia, Montreal, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle and Minnesota.

Out of those dozen games, there aren’t many ‘gimme’ games the Red Wings clearly should win – the Flyers and Kraken, maybe, but other than that, the Wings will be taking on talented and determined opponents. And seven of those 12 games will be road games, which is concerning given Detroit’s unimpressive 9-8-2 road record thus far this year.

All this is to say the Wings’ road ahead will be especially difficult to navigate. And now that a playoff spot is within reach, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman needs to be a buyer at or before the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline. The Red Wings are projected to have approximately $9.15 million in salary cap space by the deadline, That’s more than enough to address their issues. And those issues include a defense corps that is hardly one of the league’s most imposing groups.

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Would Yzerman be willing to spend that cap space on a veteran defenseman rental like Montreal’s David Savard? That’s an intriguing proposition. The Canadiens are aiming to secure a playoff spot for themselves, so Savard may not be available. But, there are other options for the Wings on ‘D’. For example, San Jose’s Mario Ferraro should be on the trade block, and his $3.25-million salary runs through the 2025-26 season, so he’s not a pure rental. However, he would be an upgrade for the Red Wings’ back end, and he can deliver 20 minutes per night at a relatively high level of play.

In any case, the Wings have to capitalize on this hot streak and get themselves over the finish line to make the playoffs for the first time in nine years. They haven’t come this far only to get this far, and it’s now on Yzerman to figure out how to have his group emerge as a playoff team by season’s end.

Detroit can’t squander the opportunity their hot stretch has provided them, and this next stretch of games will tell us whether or not this Wings team is a true contender, or merely a pretender destined for the NHL’s ‘mushy middle’ — not bad enough to land a top draft pick, but not good enough to be a post-season team. In sum, there’s no room for error, and nothing short of a continuation of the Red Wings’ excellent play is going to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The NHL is a zero-sum business, and the Wings now must prove they’re capable of succeeding in this high-stakes stretch. And if they do fall back to earth and lose out on a playoff berth, there could and should be notable changes next summer.

A playoff spot is theirs for the taking, but failure to make it to the post-season will not reflect well on Yzerman’s blueprint for success. The pressure is on, and the way the Red Wings respond to it will dictate the organization’s short and long-term direction.

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