The date was April 16, 2024. Game 82 of the regular season. A playoff berth hung in the balance for the Detroit Red Wings, and it all came down to a dramatic showdown against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. What unfolded that night wasn’t just one of the most exhilarating finishes in recent memory; it may have been the moment that showed the Red Wings are on the cusp of breaking through. While the game didn’t clinch a postseason spot, it provided a glimpse of what’s to come for a team rising from its rebuild. It might just be the beginning of their return to relevance.
The Canadiens struck first when forward Alex Newhook scored 12 minutes into the opening frame, but Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider responded minutes later. Brendan Gallagher and Cole Caufield restored Montreal’s lead with back-to-back goals, making it 3–1, before Joe Veleno brought Detroit back within one heading into the third period.
Daniel Sprong tied the game early in the final frame, flipping momentum in the Red Wings’ favor. But Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky, the first-overall pick in 2022, gave the Canadiens a 4–3 edge with time winding down. Just seven seconds remained in Detroit’s season. Then came a faceoff in the offensive zone. Dylan Larkin won it. Seider slid it to veteran David Perron. A one-timer. Goal. 4–4. The Red Wings bench erupted.
Overtime solved nothing. In the shootout, Patrick Kane, one of the game’s most clutch performers, buried the winner, sealing a 5–4 Detroit victory. Yet the celebration was short-lived. The Washington Capitals edged out the Philadelphia Flyers 2–1 that night, eliminating the Red Wings from postseason contention.
Still, there were reasons to believe. Detroit’s 91 points marked its best total since the 2015–16 season. General manager Steve Yzerman’s long-term vision was finally taking shape, with a mix of talented youth and proven veterans fuelling progress.
Red Wings’ Rebuild: Progress?
Detroit entered the 2024–25 season with rising expectations, but early results didn’t match the promise. By mid-December, the Red Wings had a 13–17–4 record and Yzerman responded boldly, firing head coach Derek Lalonde after disappointing results and the team ranking 29th in goals per game, 25th in goals against, and 31st in penalty-kill percentage.
Veteran coach Todd McLellan took over. His debut, a 5–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, wasn’t promising. But what followed was a stunning surge. Over their next 19 games, Detroit went 15–3–1, boasting the league’s best points percentage (.816) in that span. They reclaimed a wild-card spot and injected belief across “Hockeytown.”
The Collapse
Then came March. Then came the slide.
It began with a late-game collapse against the Capitals. A week later, on March 10, the Red Wings met the Ottawa Senators while riding a five-game losing streak. Despite a strong effort, they were stymied by Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark, who stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 2–1 Detroit loss.
“We just got to get a win, get off the schneid, find a way to win and then continue to find ways to win — not find ways to lose,” Larkin told after the game (From ‘Red Wings Shift Focus from Trade Deadline to Getting off Losing Streak‘, The Detroit News, March 8, 2025).
That loss made it six straight. In the final stretch of the season, the Red Wings couldn’t recover. Despite their midseason rise, they missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.
So, who are the Red Wings right now? A young team that can’t finish? A rebuild that’s stalled? Or a contender just one step away?
Yzerman is betting on the latter.
A Busy Offseason Points to Belief
On June 28, Yzerman traded goaltender Petr Mrazek and two draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for veteran netminder John Gibson, addressing one of Detroit’s most glaring weaknesses. The Red Wings also re-signed Kane, forward Jonatan Berggren, and defenseman Albert Johansson.
Free agency brought in key role players, including penalty-kill specialist Mason Appleton and veteran winger James van Riemsdyk. On the other end, Detroit moved on from Vladimir Tarasenko, sending him to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.
These weren’t blockbuster deals, but they were targeted. Goaltending, penalty killing, and bottom-six depth, all areas that sank Detroit last season, were directly addressed.
Red Wings Projected 2025–26 Lineup
Forwards:
James van Riemsdyk – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat – Marco Kasper – Patrick Kane
Elmer Soderblom – J.T. Compher – Jonatan Berggren
Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp – Mason Appleton
Defense:
Ben Chiarot – Moritz Seider
Simon Edvinsson – Albert Johansson
Erik Gustafsson – Jacob Bernard-Docker
Goaltenders:
John Gibson
Cam Talbot
One Game, One Message
It began with an unforgettable game in Montreal, overtime drama, buzzer-beating goals, and shootout brilliance. But that night was more than just a thriller. It was symbolic.
That single game, while not enough to save the season, might mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Red Wings. A team that’s been stuck in the rebuild phase for nearly a decade may finally be ready to turn the corner.
The margin for error in the NHL is razor-thin. In 2024–25, Detroit was good, just not quite good enough. But with smart offseason moves, a core that’s maturing, and a front office that believes in the group, the Red Wings might be closer than anyone realizes.
