The daily main story at Hockey Hot Stove is powered by Watrhouse Brands, dedicated to quality, consumer education, and awareness: Benevolent Bakery, SoSHEL beverages, and Smokiez vegan fruit chews. Today: Red Wings fail a major test.
The Detroit Red Wings are on the brink of missing the playoffs for a tenth straight season. The return of captain Dylan Larkin wasn’t enough for the team to beat the Ottawa Senators. Thus, Detroit now sits three points outside of the playoffs with just 11 games left to play.
The Red Wings, once again, saw lackluster performances in the month of March erase the gains of the season. This year is even more difficult, as the team played its best hockey in over a decade. Detroit would have to win at least seven of their final eleven games for a chance to make the playoffs. Those numbers seem beyond unlikely at this point.
The Red Wings will face the Buffalo Sabres next, one of the hottest teams in the NHL. A regulation loss will all but wipe away any remaining hopes for the post season. The Sabres are essentially the exact opposite of where Detroit is right now. Buffalo is about to avoid a 15th straight post season absence as they continue to roll toward the end of the season.
The chance for Detroit to make the post season, at this point, seems hypothetical. Reality seems to be setting in for this team, and it isn’t a pleasant one. Steve Yzerman made the big trade, acquiring Justin Faulk at the deadline. However, it wasn’t enough for this team to be able to win the games they need to win. Losses to Florida, Boston and Ottawa may well haunt the Red Wings right around mid April.
Detroit extends Jacob Bernard Docker
However, there have been some interesting developments for Detroit. Jacob Bernard Docker was given a two year extension worth 1.6m annually. JBD has been a solid third pairing addition since being signed last summer. Consequently, Detroit’s right side will be fairly solidified for next season.
Moritz Seider, Justin Faulk, JBD and Axel Sandin-Pellikka make up the right side defense. ASP is currently playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, with two points in his first two games. For the left side, Ben Chiarot and Albert Johansson are both locked in. However, Simon Edvinsson’s ELC is expiring after this season. Edvinsson has become a critical part of Detroit’s top pairing in his second full season.
The blue line is crowded, with seven players seemingly locked in for next year already. Detroit’s blue line is improving, however it’s little comfort in the current situation. The team’s deficit at the center position may end up being the most glaring issue at this point. Injuries to Larkin and Andrew Copp certainly had a hand in the team’s inability to put together wins in the month of March.
There are only 11 games left
The Red Wings are running out of time, and may have already run out. Two major losses in the past week may be too much for them to overcome. Detroit needs not only wins, they need other teams to start losing. At this point, that seems unlikely to happen.
Detroit needs to finish strong, whatever the result. The team’s deficit needs to show the fans(and themselves) that they care about how this ends. The last glimpses of hope are on the line this weekend, and the Red Wings need to do their best to keep them alive.
