For the third season in a row, the Detroit Red Wings saw their season flipped upside down once the calendar turned to March, and they are going to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the tenth season in a row (the NHL’s longest drought, with the Buffalo Sabres clinching a playoff berth this season). With the organization now reaching the longest playoff drought in its long history, there is plenty of blame to be placed for yet another late-season meltdown.
Another March to Forget on the Ice
After being in the top six of the NHL standings toward the end of February, the Red Wings seemingly fell off the rails. They were 34-20-6 heading into March, with the top six of the forward grouping leading the way, while struggling in five-on-five play the entire season. They also saw the goaltending position finally becoming a strength after struggling to find their number-one goalie over the past few seasons. After being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the offseason, John Gibson did get off to a shaky start, but turned it around and became one of the league’s best netminders for a good chunk of the season, serving as one of the team’s biggest x-factors.
But once March hit, the results went the opposite direction. While injuries certainly did not help the team, all NHL teams are battling injuries come the last stretch of the regular season. The production from the top six was there for the most part, but there was too much inconsistency on the ice. This led head coach Todd McLellan to call out his team on a few occasions for a lack of effort. Lucas Raymond had a rough go in March, tallying only nine points and not looking like the player he was for the majority of the season. The depth of the team did not show up when needed either, with the likes of Marco Kasper, James van Reimsdyk, and Michael Rasmussen struggling to produce much offensively (eight points among the three in March).
But the depth of the team was only one part of the problem when it came to the production not being there over the last month-plus of the season. The Red Wings’ special teams struggled, with the power play at 18.2% in March (25th in the league) and the penalty kill at 71.4% (29th). Could some of these issues be tied to coaching decisions? Certainly, but at the same time, the players on the two units are ultimately responsible for the result on the ice. After seeing a power play that ranked in the top ten in the league all season before March, it went ice-cold, and the overall offensive production was a killer for the Red Wings, not just in March but all season long.
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It was not all offensive problems for the Red Wings down the stretch, though, as the lack of effort made its way to the defensive side of the puck as well. The overall team defense struggled, and so did Gibson’s goaltending due to the issues in front of him. His numbers were not the greatest in the month of March, putting up a .889 save percentage, but he still had a respectable 2.81 goals-against average. The issue arose when he started 14 consecutive games for the Red Wings and could very easily have been overused. There were a few games when he was pulled in favor of Cam Talbot, whether for injury reasons or because McLellan was possibly trying to send a message to the rest of the team. The 32-year-old Gibson played the most games he has since the 2021-22 season, and while he was a savior at times for his team, a 14-game stretch of starts ended up playing a role in the lack of success in March.
Yzerman Does Not Get a Free Pass
It has been seven seasons now since Steve Yzerman returned to the organization where he spent his entire NHL career. Fans have grown impatient with how long the process has taken for the Red Wings to become true playoff contenders, and this season’s meltdown has only added to that impatience. Many have begun to really put the pressure on the GM, and it is deserved to some degree. While the players are the ones who have to win the games, management also plays a role. Yzerman is the man who brought in the players on the roster and earns himself criticism and blame for the shortcomings of some of his moves.
Whether it is the lack of movement at last year’s trade deadline or not being able to swing a deal for a big-time player at this deadline, there have been some swings and misses for Yzerman. The addition of Justin Faulk this season was what the team needed to help put them in an even better position, but the move may end up being more of a costly one, with the 2026 first-round pick that was sent to the St. Louis Blues not being a protected one and likely to be a high one. The pro scouting department has struggled under Yzerman, with some of the free agent signings and moves at the NHL level not panning out as hoped as well. Moves internally within the scouting department could be made this offseason. Overall, the Red Wings’ GM deserves some of the blame for the late-season collapse again this season, but for a team that has had strong success leading up to the last month-plus in each of the last three seasons, the players deserve more of the blame.
Disappointment All-Around
The disappointment felt by both Red Wings fans and the organization itself is very evident. The team posted the most points in a season since the 2015-16 season, and their most wins since the 2024-25 season. The late-season collapse will make this offseason one of the most important for Yzerman since he returned as the lead man in Hockeytown. Another season without making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season could end up leading to massive changes at every level of the organization, so here’s to holding out hope that Yzerman and the team can get things on track for a full 82-game season next season and that Little Caesars Arena will finally see playoff hockey being played in it.
