Winners in 6 of Last 7, 26 Games to Go; Do Red Wings Get In?

Wings have been hot, no doubt.  4-1 on the road swing was huge. They've been a lot of fun to watch lately.

Do they make the playoffs?  I'm becoming a believer, but they have a tough schedule moving forward.  Looking at projected point totals, as you stated they currently slot into the final wildcard.  However, of the 7 teams fighting for those 2 wildcard spots in the east, the wings remaining schedule is the second toughest (by average projected point total) next to the Sabres.  The have 4 games left against the Bruins and Canes and 8 against teams fighting for wildcard spots. Wings are also the only one of the 7 with their last 3 games of the season against teams projected to be over 100 points (though that could be a positive if all three of them are locked into their spot.)

I think a big concern is how much rest Husso can get down the stretch. He's started every game but 1 since the ASG, and their next 5 games leading up to the trade deadline are against teams solidly in the playoffs or fighting for a spot.

As for D-Boss?  I'm sure they'll work out a deal. My guess is it will be in the 8-year range with an AAV of closer to $9 than $8 mil.  He's worth it and has been playing great this season, especially since the ASG.  I don't think he should be asked to give a home team discount as the wings haven't proven to be a playoff team let alone a contender.

they started pretty well, then miserably stumbled through a mid-november to mid-january patch, losing 3 and 5 games in a row all through that time.  have won 8 of the last 11, shown signs of actual hockey life, and who knows.  unfortunately they've been bad for a decade and other than larkin and bertuzzi i couldn't tell you a single player on the team.  would be nice to see them keep the momentum. 

1. Yes but eliminated early. Making a push is great learning curve for the future.

2. I am enjoying the product on the ice.  When the Wings and Tigers are good its good for their sports. But the Tigers won't be good for a while.

3.  Lock Larkin up long term. Pay the man. He is not only part of the present but a huge part of the future.

Not getting my hopes up. Took a huge stretch like this to get back in contention. We have a couple games in hand, so that helps on the outlook. However, consistency over 26 games is going to be difficult for this team. If we make it, I’d be amazed. Lalonde, coach of the Year if so (I don’t follow the league enough to actually say this with any conviction). 
 

Don’t think we have a choice in resigning Larkin to what he wants. If we let him go, rebuild takes a setback. 

Stevie Y making a difference…..

It’s great to see the Wings play well. 538 currrently has the Wings with a 20% probability of making the playoffs after beating the Caps last night. They have games in hand on most of the other teams but as mentioned above their SOS is tough from here out. Good stretch recently. They’ve done well to beat some mediocre teams. They are getting some decent puck luck for a change - getting outshot in almost all their games but taking advantage of opportunities. 
 

They will definitely lock Larkin up on an 8 year deal. Would be nice to get it done prior to the TDL. More curious to see what they will do with Bertuzzi. He’s been injured most of the year and has t produced much when playing although he’s been better recently. Not sure if he fits long term or not. He may get a shorter show me deal or get traded.

Happy they are performing well, but I don't think they make it this year.  Hockey is a game of peaks and valleys, and they are fresh off a peak.  They will have a rough spot at some point.

Fabbri and Bertuzzi coming back off of injury have helped a bit on the lines.  I wonder how much  better Detroit would be if Vrana was healthy and in the right mindset.  They have a chance to get into the playoffs but it will be tough sledding.  Atlantic Division is crazy tough.

They should. Right now they’re playing the game the right way easy play not forcing pucks out the middle in your own d zone. It helps they’re playing with everyone projected to be in their top 6 minus Raymond which he should be back soon. The goaltending depth is the biggest concern. 

Lock up Larkin at whatever cost that takes.  The Wings have been blessed with long term 'homegrown' talent leading down the middle (Stevie Y, Sergei, Pavel, Hank...).  Need to keep that going with Larkin - trading for top players is a 2-4 year thing before they go somewhere else.  Build a team of leaders and fill it out around them.

The current streak has been fun to watch.... I'm not sold on out goalie situation though.  Making the playoffs without a strong netminder is a pretty tall order.

Can they keep the momentum and build on it, peaking at the ideal time like a Coach B team?

Or was this a really good run that is going to fizzle out because they were punching above their weight class?

We shall see.   LGRW 

sure would be great to be able to watch their games on a streaming service that didn't cost more than every other streaming service out there.

Couldn't say, but even if the Wings don't make it this year, they're will be contenders in the not-so-distant future. I look at the product Yzerman built down in Tampa, and I have to believe there is little reason to think he couldn't do it in Detroit as well. 

Will Detroit make three consecutive cups and win two of them? I don't know, but he will make them into contenders. Yzerman showed up in Tampa around 2010 and while they did make the ECF in 2011, they didn't really start becoming the team they are now until around the 2015 season.

My point is, even if it doesn't happen this year, keep the faith. This guy will get you there. 

Not only are they getting in, they are winning in Cup. Every time the Avs win the Cup, the Red Wings win it the following year. SCIENCE!

The Yzerplan is working since we are even talking about the playoffs 

No idea, but what a fun run they are on.  Huge win last night in D.C.!  The Captain has them set up well for the future.  

In regards to Dylan Larkin's contract situation, I would refer all to the famous words of Teddy KGB - "Pay dat man his money!"

I will take a lot of heat for this, but I don't think Larkin is worth that kind of money. I don't fault him for trying to get it nor do I expect him to take a hometown discount. At that salary, he'd be among the top 10 paid centers in the league. The problem with Larkin is that he's been on some godawful teams without a lot of goal scorers on his wings over the years, so it's hard to really assess. Some advanced metrics have him as a top 10 center in the league. I don't think he is. I think he's a very good/high end player, but a notch below of what I think of when I think of elite centers (take McDavid out of the conversation because he's just out of this world and I don't think it's fair to compare any player to him at all). 

My take/preference would be to deal him for prospects/picks. While I'm very pleased with the Yzerplan to date, this core group is still a ways away from being able to compete for a Cup. Yzerman had a much fuller cupboard when he took over the Bolts. Lecavalier and St. Louis were still there and I think Stamkos was already drafted too. 

Wings really need to get lucky in the lottery and land a can't miss prospect in the top 5 of the draft one of these years. While it's been a while since the Wings were any good, considering that Yzerman's 4 year anniversary is coming up and given COVID in the middle of it, we're still pretty early on in the real rebuild. 

I sure hope so.  In my basement are the framed "day after" Detroit newspaper headlines from the Stanley Cup wins in 97, 98, 2002 & 2008 and an autographed, game worn Stevey Y jersey.  I can remember where i was watching the clinching game in each series. 

I can also remember being absolutely sick to my stomach when the 62 win, record-breaking team in 95 got swept in the finals by the Devils and heartbroken when the fucking Avalanche (and they will always be the fucking Avalanche) beat us in western finals in 96.  And to this day I can see the puck rolling across the crease in front of an open goal in the final seconds of game seven of the finals against the stupid Penguins in 09.  Funny how the defeats leave a much more lasting impact on my memory than the four cup wins.

It would so nice to have meaningful Stanley Cup hockey back in Detroit again.  Because the leagues are better when iconic franchises like the Red Wings are good.

It's great to have meaningful games in March. Husso has been a great pick-up and Larkin is playing as well as anyone since the All-Star break. Seider and Walman have been really improving on defense. Just sneaking in the last playoff spot is a realistic expectation and would be a great maturing experience for this young team.

And yeah, pay Larkin!

Rumors are Wings were offering $8M and Dylan was seeking $9M

Ridiculous numbers for someone whose career high in goals in a season is 32 and is a career minus player.

I like Larkin as much as the next player but we don't need Yzerman to suddenly lose his mind and start writing Holland-esqe contracts.

I'm just glad they're keeping themselves in the conversation, this time last year they had fallen apart more or less. They've been improving incrementally the last few years, I hope they can make the leap this year.

Larkin being on a tear is a big part of it, but also the increased depth. Who expected Pius Suter to have 5 goals in 5 games? And finding a spot for Vrana was really tough because most of the guys are playing well, even though Zadina isn't scoring at the level you want he is playing energetic, defensively responsible hockey. Also there's Fabbri, and Rasmussen and Veleno both seem  improved.The d-corp is better, Hronek's resurgensce and Walman and Maata are surprises, and Husso is super solid. 

I still think they're a player or 2 away from being regular playoff contenders, but it looks as if they're headed in the right direction.

Kyle Connor is the same age as Larkin. He is 19th overall in scoring and is making $7.1 million. Larkin is 34th in league scoring. Yzerman is still dealing with Ken Holland's mess. Justin Abdelkader is on the books for a million a year until 2026.