There’s no question it’ll remain an uphill battle after the Olympic break, but the Detroit Red Wings appear poised to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Detroit’s most recent playoff streak was the fourth-longest in NHL history, spanning from 1991 to 2016. During that stretch, the Red Wings won four Stanley Cup titles in six appearances. Ready to begin the next streak, captain Dylan Larkin explained to DJ Siddiqi of RG Media how his career has unfolded and what’s different about this year’s club.
Obviously, being from Waterford, MI, and playing his amateur hockey at the Belle Tire program, Larkin’s commitment to southeast Michigan runs deep. Playing his collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Larkin has never had a home game outside of his small pocket in Michigan.
Being on the last Red Wings to make the playoffs in 2016, Larkin had the opportunity to learn from a pair of the organization’s best: his first captain, Henrik Zetterberg, and his current General Manager, Steve Yzerman.
Opening up on some of the conversations he’s had with Yzerman, Larkin said, “I mean this respectfully, he’s a pretty private guy, and I believe most of the stuff we talk about should stay private. But he’s been a great role model for me. Henrik Zetteberg, who I got to play for my first three years, is probably the most significant person I’ve leaned on in my career. Steve is right up there with Henrik. I’m very fortunate to work with him, and he’s given me a lot of great, priceless advice.”
Zetterberg was one of the Red Wings’ most successful draft stories from the 1990s, and there were a few. Detroit selected him 210th overall in the 1999 NHL Draft, and he debuted for the team in the 2002-03 season.
Although he and fellow diamond-in-the-rough Pavel Datsyuk never tallied a 100-point campaign at the NHL level, they became two of the most complete forwards in the game, helping sustain Detroit’s success. Zetterberg finished his career with 337 goals and 960 points in 1,082 NHL games before having his career cut short by chronic back issues. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the Red Wings’ 11th Stanley Cup title in 2008 and was the team’s captain from 2012 to 2018.
Even by today’s standards, there would be few better players to learn from. Like his predecessors, Larkin doesn’t appear poised to crack the 100-point plateau, but he is making up for that with how he plays the game. He has shown flashes of being above a point-per-game player and has been consistent in his skill in the faceoff dot and possession metrics.
Lastly, Larkin opened up on what making the playoffs would mean for him and the team, saying, “It would be unbelievable to play a playoff game – the first playoff game at Little Caesars Arena in hockey history. It would mean a lot to our fans and mean a lot to me. It’s not all about me, but being here through some tough days and getting into the playoffs, I believe our team can do some damage. I hope our fans do as well.“
John Gibson has been a magnificent addition to the Wings this season, But I don’t think they have done enough in front of the goaltending to make an impact in playoffs, Mclellan has certainly earned the coach of the year award thus far as well.
History will repeat itself once again and they won’t make the playoffs if they don’t make a few moves. They need 1 Forward and 1 Defensenen
At this point the Redwings have to play every remaining game as if it were the 4th game in playoffs and tied 1/1. And by that I mean EVERY player on EVERY shift.
This is it boys, you have the games ahead to gather points to remain in a playoff position. You absolutely must manage games to get the 2 points, as if you are ahead 4-2 or 4-3. This recurring mental malaise, in some cases, laziness of play , give aways, and weak board work does not get the points you need.
We’ll see which teams have the discipline and focus to manage their play and games to gather two points for the bank.
What is Detroit giving up for Trochek? I’m guessing a first, a second, and two significant top 5 organization prospects? Detroit nation let’s hear what your willing to give up to get a top second line center ego wins faceoffs and battles relentlessly.
The Rangers could use up front skill and strong two way D men plus another goalie prospect behind Igor in case they decide to eventually move him and go all in full rebuild mode.