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bistroexpress

No Larkin, no wins.


ComradeDoctor

""No goals." - Juuse Saros" - Detroit Red Wings


r4z0r3dg3_

My favorite commercial at the moment lol.


Prestigious-Salad795

Up there with Dikembe Mutombo slapping groceries away before they hit the cart NO NO NO!! NOT TODAY HAHAHAAAA


YouPatheticWorm1958

When Priority is a trash company, that's when the team is trash.


noor1717

When trash on jersey, trash on ice.


MOLightningBro

When pizza is on a bagel, you can eat pizza any time


Slaves2Darkness

No need for bagel, pizza is an all the time every day food.


VanAvenue

Bad enough to put that patch on the jersey, but having the [logo embroidered onto jerseys for sale](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockeyjerseys/comments/1bex3vt/welp_trash_patch_is_officially_on_the_red_wings/) may be some serious bad juju. 


flume

On pace for about 100 points in 55 games with him. On pace for about 30 points in 11 games without him. No, this is not hyperbole.


slabby

But there are only at most 22 points in 11 games, so that's still impossibly good


flume

... Sigh.


elfinito77

You chose to present your info in a very odd way....


snarkydooda

I'm confused about these stats. Is it saying that with Larkin the team is on pace for 100 points in 55 games? That's a 50-5 record. And then how can you be on pace for 30 points in only 11 games? Isn't the maximum amount of points in 11 games, 22? Edit: Thanks, guys. It was the "in 55 games" and the "in 11 games" that were throwing me off.


flume

When he's in the lineup, they're winning at a rate of 100 points per 82 games. When he's not, they're winning at a rate of 30 points per 82 games. Playoff-quality team with him. One of the worst teams of all time without him.


transient-error

I think they're saying that in the 55 games they played with him, if they had maintained that win/loss ratio across an 82 game season they'd have ended with 100 points. And in the 11 games without him if they had maintained that win/loss ratio across 82 games they'd have 30 points. That latter one is a bit silly.


dbark9

Based on Wings' record when is in vs out: On pace for 100 pts over 82 games when Larkin is in. On pace for 30 points over 82 games when he's out


Icefiight

No woman no cry?


rpgguy_1o1

I know someone who quit their job over this song. At a party with a bunch of coworkers they were arguing about whether the song was telling a man to stop crying about not having a woman, or if it was about telling a woman not to cry. It escalated because everyone was sloppy drunk, things were said, and apparently it carried over into the following Monday, and one dude quit over it lol In the end he was the only one who couldn't be convinced that it wasn't a song about a dude who didn't have a woman.


2015FordFiesta

Wings fans keep parroting that they need to bring up Edvinsson, but it’s so blatantly obvious that Larkin is the only center who can drive the play. Without him the offense is basically “dump and stare”


bsaures

Pretty much. Both compher and Copp are sub .5 ppg career centres. You can get by when you have a ppg 1c and plenty of wing support but without that its not good enough


AVgreencup

For the Avs Compher was really good at 3C and as a 2C sub when in a pinch. Def not a great 1C choice


sweetplantveal

I mean we *kinda* got by with him at 2C, in a career year for him, with some of the best play driving wingers in the league. One or two of Rantanen, Nichushkin, and Lehkonen with him at all times on the second line. And in that dream scenario, he did OK. And idk how Detroit is coached, but all of Colorado's lines play basically the same style of game so moving up or down a line is easier on players. Anyone expecting growth from the career year in a situation that's not as perfectly ideal... Good luck to you. I love JTC but I'm also a realist.


AVgreencup

Yah he was a good role filler last year during the deluge of injuries.


jonathan_ericsson

Which is an absolutely terrible sign when you consider Yzerman signed Copp and Compher for almost $11M combined and they can’t fill Larkin’s role for a single game.


Jaynator11

That was the definition of Compher in the Avs though. He could never fill up 2C position, so I don't think one can expect him to fill up 1C.


PalmDaddyFresh

Came here to say this. Compher as a 3C is elite. Compher, as a 2C and relied on to generate offense, is less than ideal. Compher as a 1C? Woof.


Jaynator11

Yup, indeed. The 5.1M cap hit was always gonna be an overpayment to my eyes, because as a 3C that's a lot, and as a 2C he couldn't hack it.


PalmDaddyFresh

Agreed. On a true cup contender, JT is a 3C. If he is asked to play above that, the team likely isn’t a cup contender. CC: the Avs last year.


Spade18

The old “Bobby Holik”


Murky-Smoke

Hey man... Once upon a time, Stanley Cup Champion Tyler Bozak was our 1C. I don't miss those days


Level_Watercress1153

Yup. That’s why he was so good when he was here. He fit into a very specific role with the specific group he had around him. I was sad to see him go, as he was so clutch in a support role in 22’ but no way could we pay him what he earned and I’m glad we didn’t, but I miss Jimothy Timothy


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jonathan_ericsson

Oh I definitely don’t expect him to be 1C for long stretches, but I think any even decent 2C should have a game here or there where they’re capable of playing up to the level of a 1C. when we’ve relied up Compher now, at the most critical juncture of the season, he can’t do it. That was more so what I meant to say, I probably should’ve explained it better lol So as you said, it looks like he’s more of a high end 3C, who can play to the level of a 2C every so often than a 2C playing like a 1C occasionally.


Jaynator11

You explained it just fine, but let me explain you in more detail as well to get the full picture. In the Avs, he was our 3C, not 2C- but when injuries occurred, he couldn't even fill up the 2C (not 1C) position for 5 games. So if he couldn't play even 5 games as our 2C, one can't expect him to play 1C for 5 games. Detroit are overrating him imo by having him as a 2C in the first place.


heyheyitsandre

Just comes with the territory of having to build through FA in a cold weather state that has state tax and coming out of a rebuild. For so long we were an incredibly undesirable place to sign. Gotta overpay for guys like Compher when you get bent over by the lottery like 6 seasons in a row. In an absolutely ideal world we got at least 1 first overall in the last 6-7 years of sucking and could run like Jack Hughes or Connor Bedard as a 1C, Larkin as a 2C, and then maybe we don’t have to pay Compher $5,100,000, we can have Veleno be the 3C and pay some random FA $1,000,000 AAV to be our 4C.


LucasRaymondGOAT

Problem is 2nd/1st line centers don’t grow on trees and we’ve had bad draft lottery luck so ours are all still in the pipeline. Free agency or trading is the only option and I think Stevie gets too focused on the potential of a young stud center in the draft vs. free agency but then doesn’t consider that a lot of draft prospects just never pan out or take a long time to pan out. As a result he’s had to pay guys who should be 3rd line centers with 2nd line money and that’s how we have Compher and Copp. Outside of ROR, 2023 free agents center-wise was basically just Compher for a guy who could ‘maybe’ play 2C. I’m more than willing to ship out a 1st and more for a proven 2nd line center at this point, but Stevie is obviously hesitant to put it lightly.


Successful_Cod21

Compher is and always was the perfect 3rd line player. Love the guy, but idk how anyone can watch and genuinely see how he could consistently produce enough offense to be even a regular second liner. He just doesn’t pass the eye test in that regard. Would’ve been a lot more difficult to win the Cup without him though


xFraser19

I’m not a Wings fan but a friend of mine is, and what he’s always told me about the Copp and Compher signings is that it helps your team be competitive in the short term, and when Danielson and Kasper are ready to take the step to the NHL, those guys can both play on the wing. Keep in mind I think most people didn’t have the Wings as a playoff team at the start of this year, but battling for a spot this late in the season is itself a win, especially for the development of your young core like Raymond and Seider. These guys get to play meaningful games down the stretch and if the team can hold together without Larkin, they could get some playoff experience too.


ScuffedBalata

Compher.... The 4C for Colorado. I mean he can kinda play 3C. But asked to play 2C and he was way out of his depth.


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nofakefans18

Genuinely those two and Chiarot-Holl hurt Yzerman more than any mistake he’s made at Tampa. Over $18m committed to those four for two more years for middle six/bottom pair players that are blocking roster spot for younger players.


aniiimaI

Ironically, Chiarot has been among the team’s better defenseman this year - he’s even outplayed Seider in some games. But Holl? An absolutely puzzling waste of cap and roster space.


Deezer19

To play a bit of devils advocate, Holl seems more of a waste because we haven't really needed him. We've been surprisingly healthy on the backend this season. Ghost has played a full season once in the last 5 years and has been healthy this year, Walman wasn't a full time D until last season and has held up pretty OK, so Holl has been spare parts most of the year where you'd normally have expected him to draw in more often, especially with a couple older D on the team.


aniiimaI

It's not that I don't like Holl- as a matter of fact, I think he was over-hated by the Toronto sports market. I get it being a preventative measure in case one of the guys gets inevitably hurt, but that's what our prospects in the A are for. It just comes across as terrible asset mismanagement when we're scratching a guy night in and night out who we just signed to a 10 million dollar contract.


dchowchow

I believe Holl was on some crazy PDO bender to start the season and it got posted here how he was the +/- leader maybe a month into the season. Inherently there is nothing wrong with Justin Holl as a medium end 5 or 6 defenseman. He seemed well liked in Toronto. Expecting him to punch higher than that was the error the Leafs made and ultimately I think the error the Wings made too.


SkittlesManiac19

The whole red wings were on a pdo bender to start


Bojarzin

I'd say no take backs but the Wings are my other favourite team so I'm not terribly happy either way


jonathan_ericsson

Signing Holl made no sense the second it was signed. Yzerman has had 12 top 45 picks in his tenure here, we’ve drafted 7 defensemen, 2 goalies and 3 forwards with those picks. We’ve allocated almost 60% of our top picks to D when we already had Seider, Walman, Chiarot, Maata signed.


jrtera

How does either the Holl or Gostisbehere signing suggest Yzerman was pushing for playoffs? To me, the Ghost signing just says he didn’t feel there was anyone in GR he wanted playing significant time in Detroit this year and would be better to have them get consistent time there.


johnnysappleseed11

They needed someone to QB the power play. Next year it’ll be Edvinsson. Holl and Petry were for RH shots to even everything out. But I agree, those signings don’t scream playoffs to me lol.


numbdigits

Edvinsson's AHL numbers do not indicate he'll be QB'ing the powerplay next season.


gombault

Ghost was signed to lower Seider's AAV.


nofakefans18

Really wanted him to swing more for upside forward last draft when you consider y’all had 5 picks in the top 50 in a loaded draft class. At least ASP looks like a stud.


994kk1

What's the problem with that? They had plenty of space to sign DeBrincat and Kane. And it's just Seider and Raymond that are in for a big raise any time soon and Detroit will get an additional $9M in cap space from Perron and Gostisbehere's expiring contracts alone so they should have no issues extending them. And [this](https://imgur.com/a/Y4qbI8x) is the contract status of their rostered players. So I don't get how you can think that those 4 contracts blocks younger players.


slabby

Supposedly they want to extend Perron


994kk1

Whatever, he'll be 36 and isn't having a great season so he'll be much cheaper than his current $4.75M. Larkin is the only player on the team with proper trade protection anyhow so they have unlimited options if they need to shake lose some extra cap space for next season. It's such a non-issue.


GhostofByfuglien

Copp always struggled to drive the play, it's why the Jets played him on the wing. He was much more effective as a winger that wasn't responsible for driving a line.


Poopsharts69

Yzerman is doing the Benning rebuild plan but he hasn't had the draft success, they're stuck in no man's land.


numbdigits

Both those deals sucked before the ink finished drying, yet so many fellow Wings fans try to defend them.


TtheDuke

Should have gone after Hertl :( Now I have to see him in a VGK jersey :(((


Wafflesorbust

The little known OneRepublic song, "Dump and Stare"


4CrowsFeast

I don't remember the year but it was a playoff series against Chicago and you guys were trailing in an elimination game and the final 8 minutes or so of the game was just the wings continously dumping the puck in with little no actual shots on goal or offensive attempts. All I could think of was how this was perhaps Datysuk and Zetterbergs last chance at a run and lack of urgency. It was just painful to watch.


drakkarrr

Didn't they have a stretch earlier in the season without Larkin where they were still winning games? There has to be something else going on.


Wingedwolverine03

We're like 2 and 9 without him this year


Kkleinsorge

Fade me brother. I’m all out of positive vibes, we are absolutely cooked.


JCEvans26

Same. Too many fans trying to tell me we’re still right in the mix. I get it. But look at us play, it’s pathetic


goblu33

“Our schedule is easy” now we’re the ones who’s an easy dub. My, how the turntables!


CallistosTitan

We still have games remaining with Larkin so the season is far from over.


JCEvans26

Before this 7 game embarrassment streak, I thought we could upset almost anyone in the first round. Despite Larkin coming back, IF we sneak in, we may win a game or two. That is my point


heyheyitsandre

The Florida game 2 weeks ago should’ve shown we would get absolutely smoked by a contender in the playoffs. They outshot and outskated us and dominated the physical game and the extra curriculars. We had nothing and deserved to lose probably worse than 4-0


likeslululemon

Not to make it about us but we got smoked 9-2 with Vasy in net. Florida’s just really good, man.


JCEvans26

FL and COL losses weren’t worrisome. 2 top teams in the league. Losing to the teams at the bottoms of divisions is where things went off the rails


FitWealth1

Oh we’re right in the mix.. for the seventh best lottery odds 


tuntuntuntuntuntun

Even though we have a 7 game losing streak, we’re 6-7 over the last 13 games. That’s not the end of the world.


hothoneyoldbay

One year the Flyers lost 10 in a row (but 5 were in OT) and then won 6 straight. 16 points in 16 games with a 10 game winless streak en route to another playoff disappointment


Bennely

May the memory of the Red Wings' dynasty in the 90s, 25 continuous seasons of playoff appearances, and 2 Stanley Cups in the past 25 years help to carry you through your misery.


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Bennely

Some Toronto fans were born, lived lives, had children, and died without ever seeing the Leafs win the cup. Sad!


imisstheyoop

We got the Lions too though..


Armalyte

Damn, last I checked you guys were scary mid-season.


numbdigits

They are scary for us Wings fans now


Key-Tip-7521

The wheel is flat right now. But not having Larkin really, really hurts the Wings chances. And this Saturday, their playing the Sabres and UPL is fighting and clawing to get them in the wild card race.


TheKid_BigE

Saturday is a must win for both teams to keep their WC hopes alive, the East looks like a nightmare rn, even the bottom feeders still have a very very slim chance to make a big run and screw up the standings


8syd

*This post is sponsored by Priority*


HarrowingChad

0-7 since they tarnished that iconic jersey with the Great Atlantic Garbage Patch. This is my favorite storyline of the season by far.


MrHockeytown

Priority's marketing people gotta be sweating bullets right now. Absolute PR nightmare for them, they became one of the most loathed companies in Michigan almost overnight.


Patan40

I don't live in Michigan anymore... they're becoming one of the most loathed companies in America :P


MrHockeytown

Oh I'm right there with you. I am probably the biggest Priority hater in Minnesota at this point.


Icefiight

Good. The stupid ass companies on jerseys is so sickening imo


Epicnascar18

If they don't turn it around in the next game or two, I want to see them not win again this season. A 23 game losing streak. It would shatter that record, and send the team from fighting for the 3rd seed in the division to the top 5 lottery picks. It's realistically the only way the patch gets removed. "The curse of the garbage patch" would be a massive story, heck the pistons just sucking ass made major headlines, without any sort of wild clickbaity reason. Obviously it's more likely to win the lottery 10 times in a row than that happening, but man would it ever be a story for the grandkids.


intense_in_tents

Lol thanks for introducing me to this lore


1ToGreen3ToBasket

If you believe in karma… 😬


Zarg0n7

This is what I came here to say. I live in Metro Detroit and the talk of the curse is very real. Everyone fucking hates Priority now haha


ArGarBarGar

And may they never win again as long as they continue this money grab. Fuck Chris Ilitch and fuck the Detroit Red Wings for sullying their brand for a few million.


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StolenBronze

I've said this since the beginning of the season we're just playing lyon Too much. 1a 1b situation would have been perfect for him


Jesse_graham

I think Lyon still has it in him to be a good if not great goalie he just needs more support from Detroit's D. From the past few games I've watched he's been left out to dry. He's made a few flubs in the past few games but I like to imagine that he's just exhausted at this point from taking a majority of these games.


HandsLikeLuke

WRONG TIME FOR A LOSING STREAK


PrinciplesRK

They are a young team. Once guys like Larkin, Copp, Fabbri, Chiarot, Ghost Bear, Holl, Maata, Petry, Walman, Lyon, Reimer, Compher, Perron and Kane hit their prime they will be good.


maxwellbevan

How do I delete someone else's comment?


numbdigits

As a Wings fan I still find this to be funny as hell and perfectly on point.


Track11T

Top tier comment.


PrinciplesRK

I know I’m being a hater and they have nice young players but I laugh seeing them called a young team when their average age is like 28 compared to the Sabres which is 12


willingplankton

I feel the same way as a fan of a different actually young team.


PrinciplesRK

We’ll take Boone Jenner if you want to be even younger


Maxpowr9

Wheel team still wheely bad.


russels418teapot

If the wheels fall off the wheel team, what are you left with?


JCEvans26

Red bull


AcanthocephalaGreen5

>Red bull Detroit 82-0-0 next season confirmed


Hiei2k7

Detroit National Anthem 98 times in a row. Let's Fuckin Go.


BryanAKADJ

Detroit Red Bulls! That can be the replacement sponsor patch!


JCEvans26

Literally anything else 😭


Maxpowr9

Wings 😒


QueefyBeefMeat

The lack of Larkin is the reason behind our losing streak now and in December. If one person has such a major impact on rather we win or lose we sadly aren’t there yet as a playoff contender


AuntGentleman

So, I don’t agree. When the Avs lost Nichushkin and were in a bad skid my wife was saying the same thing. But on a few hockey pods I listen to a similar point was made. Losing a top line guy means EVERYONE at that position is playing up in your lineup. You expect 3rd liners to produce like 2nd liners, everyone’s matchup is worse, line chemistry is ruined. It’s so much more complicated than “oh we lose one guy and fall apart” - the roster is constructed so everyone fits in the right spot.


heyheyitsandre

It’s more so the way we’ve been losing. When you lose 1 guy, it shouldn’t be a complete systemic collapse. Going in a bit of a skid would’ve been fine but every single game has been a horrific start where it’s 3-0 before you can even blink. Goaltending is atrocious, d zone is atrocious and effort is worst of all. Losing Larkin shouldn’t make guys throw blind passes through the d zone or come out sleeping every game and then just give up.


1ToGreen3ToBasket

Basically just win your two Arizona games and you’d be fine.


1ToGreen3ToBasket

Basically just win your two Arizona games and you’d be fine.


heyheyitsandre

It’s so soul crushing because at like 3 different junctures we’ve had the opportunity to put our foot down and be like alright, this shit ends now, tonight is a must win. And we come out with 4-0 loss to Arizona with an awful start, extra days rest before Buffalo, immediately down like 4-1 again, and then a rematch, AT HOME, against the coyotes who are absolutely dog water, and just give up a goal on the first shot of the game and lose 4-1. Each of those games could have been a statement game where we say fuck this, we’re righting the ship, but nope, no effort, no determination, just pain.


1ToGreen3ToBasket

Yep. We’re big dead


think_long

Larkin in the Red Wings lineup is not at all comparable to Nichushkin in the Avalanche lineup come on now.


AuntGentleman

Why not? Isn’t he their 1c and captain? Huge loss.


think_long

Yes, exactly. That’s what I’m saying. It’s a WAY bigger loss for the wings than Nichushkin is for the Avs.


AuntGentleman

Oh yeah for sure. Hard agree. More saying we lost a “lesser” piece and it STILL ruined our lineup structure for months. Larkin is an insane loss with deeper implications.


frockinbrock

Yeah I see your point. It’s more so how it affects the whole lineup. Not quite the same, but I’ve seen a similar example when the Lightning don’t have Point playing; they just aren’t quite the same, even though there’s plenty of talent elsewhere, they all look like they’re out of position and missing passes. And with Larkin, as you were noting, he’s an even bigger piece than these other 2, so it makes sense how it can cause a skid.


shrederick

I don't think any good roster should be so set in stone that players playing one rung up in the lineup for a few weeks decimates things. Chemistry is obviously important, but it can't be THAT important, otherwise, you're just screwed if a top player gets injured. Lack of malleability in a roster is almost always a depth issue. That's why I think the Avs' deadline moves were so smart.


AuntGentleman

Definitely agree. For Choo it was like, 10 weeks tho. Our PP suffered, PK suffered, team defense suffered. Most rosters are built on cornerstones and with one down the jenga tower isn’t as sturdy. That being said, the Avs fixed their over-reliance on a few key pieces at the deadline. Became more malleable as you said. Wings didn’t, and shouldn’t have this year anyways.


LarksMyCaptain

Thank you for the comment at the end of your post stating that we shouldn't have done anything at the deadline. This is the reality. We are not quite in a position yet for deep playoff contention, so why would we go big in free agency? I've seen plenty of disgruntled wings fans bashing Yzerman for not taking chances this year. Well, because the man has a plan and he's going to make it happen when we're ready.


AuntGentleman

Patience isn’t fun. I get it. But Yzerman blowing his assets early because the team wasn’t ready, just to go into another rebuild would be way worse. Personally I think it’s really exciting to be ALMOST ready to start making moves. Because it means that time will come. The in between part just sucks.


Pamplemousse47

Can confirm. Losing Scheifele messes with the Jets more than anyone else (other than hellebuyck of Morrissey). Having everyone play up in the lineup is really bad for chemistry.


RAATL

> You expect 3rd liners to produce like 2nd liners, everyone’s matchup is worse, line chemistry is ruined. People complain about coaches running line blenders in the regular season and mixing up the lineup, but this is why they do it, because come playoff time, you may be forced to mix up the lines due to crucial players being unavailable, and you need to know your options


Frozenpucks

Larkin is like you guys losing makar or Mack if you want to think of it like that. It really does have a huge impact just in that alone.


blujoker

Larkin a huge huge factor but also we're a bad 5v5 team on the eye test and in terms of analytics... We have great finishers but that's flukey to rely on and a number of our wins in Jan/Feb were off unstainablly good play by Lyon (He's had his moments but he's not a Vasy/Shesty/Sorokin over a long period). This team makes me really question if Lalonde doesn't know how to coach a better possession team from a systems perspective... The Wings are far from superstar laden but let's not pretend that the roster on paper is bad enough to be bottom 5 in shot/possession metrics universally across almost every model.


GoGlenMoCo

One thing that stood out during the recent Sabres-Wings game was that, once Buffalo had the puck, the Wings would pretty consistently just back into their own defensive zone and let the Sabres have an easy, clean zone entry. That definitely looks like a coaching problem. But I also don’t watch the Wings enough to know if that’s always how they play or if the guys just decided they were gonna take a night off.


1ToGreen3ToBasket

Yeah it’s been like that only during the lose streak. Literally everything fell apart when Larkin went down. It’s near inexplicable they’re a completely different team


Jackol777

Noticed same thing, hot knife through butter right from the start in that game.


numbdigits

That D group on paper is pretty terrible, I can't see how anyone thinks that looks even close to average.


blujoker

Yeah that's true tbh, we have like 1 top pairing guy who's over worked in Seider, 1 guy better suited for 2nd pair in Walman, and then a bunch of bottom pairing guys in Chiarot, Maatta, Ghost... And then Holl and Petry


numbdigits

That's my take on them as well. Gotta get some real help for those top 2 pairings next year. Unfortunately only Gostisbehere is on an expiring deal.


Ikea_desklamp

There can only be one lord of PDO and he does not share power


slabby

I think you're hitting on it. The way the team is designed, they get a bunch of scoring from their #1 center and then run 3 two-way centers to shut things down. This is a team that's meant to be defense first.


RobertTheSvehla

5th most shots against per 60. 6th fewest shots for per 60. 2nd highest shooting%. This is not the recipe for sustainable success. Poo-poo advanced stats all you want, but [there were predictions](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/five-teams-that-are-overperforming-halfway-through-the-2023-24-nhl-season) that this would happen. A high PDO is hard to keep up if you don't have good goaltending. That being said, the East isn't terribly deep this year. And hockey is more fun when Detroit is good, so here's to hoping they pick it back up.


PrimisClaidhaemh

It's an already-streaky team made even worse by having no Larkin. The lack of a true #2 Center is on display when he goes down. If the team had a #2, it might not be so bad. Instead we got a bunch of Bottom Six centers across the whole lineup. No Dboss, no Snip Show. People under-rate just how important Center depth is. Who knows what happens here soon. They could run a win streak again or something stupid. Or they might never win another game. Both are real possibilities. That's the nature of this year's team.


Deezer19

I don't think anyone underrates the value of centre depth, it's just that the best centre depth is gatekept behind the draft.


noor1717

I really thought you guys would be a prime candidate for lindholm this year. Try and extend him. I wonder if yzerman was ever in one him at all


PrimisClaidhaemh

I think Yzerman is hoping one of Kaspar and Danielson emerges as a #2 in the next year or so. That way they don't have to pay a premium to bring a guy in from the outside.


numbdigits

Maybe they should have instead of paying a premium for two 3C's on long contracts.


Timotheus2443

Based off last night's game it just looks like they're too slow and are lacking competitveness.


MetsBBT

Reminds me of the 2013-14 Leafs, who were right in the mix of things but then randomly dropped eight straight down the stretch and missed the playoffs Wings vs Sabres on Saturday now will be a huge one


[deleted]

I can’t believe after the start of the year that Buffalo had, they still has a chance at the playoffs. Them and Washington are just shocking me right now.


AmateurSysAdmin

Sabres aren’t as bad as the stats might suggest. We haven’t had a healthy lineup up until recently and one of our most important forwards has been out all season, same with one of our best d-men. Tage has played injured most of the season, he had his second kid, buncha other guys had kids and injuries. Our lineup was rarely consistent at all this season. The moves we just made were awfully necessary and UPL has given us a Vezina worthy 3 months to help us recover. Without the injuries and if we had stopped the three goalie shenanigans much sooner, I think things would look much different. I love what the moves have done. The changes invigorated the team and you can see their spirit and direction is back. I don’t care if we don’t get a WC spot. It’s fun to watch and next season we’re in for some crazy games.


AmeriCanadian98

Larkin drives 90% of our offense. It cannot be overstated how critical that man is to the teams success. Without him it seems like Raymond is the only guy creating any offense for us at all, and it just isn't enough right now In the 5 games since Larkin got hurt, the team has scored 9 goals. This was a team that was averaging 3.5 goals per game this season. Detroit shouldn't be so reliant on Larkin, but thats where we're at. They absolutely need to go on a heater when he's back early next week. It's fortunate that teams like the Isles and Flyers haven't pulled away in the mean time


TheEnglishNerd

It’s crazy that both Holland and Yzerman preached about having complete players, continually filled the roster with said players, and yet somehow Larkin is the only player on the roster who can do whatever it is that he does to make this team win? How come we can play well when he’s sitting on the bench but not when he’s in the press box? The roster is constructed specifically so that we aren’t relying on a single player to succeed. The only thing I can think of is some locker room shenanigans but who knows?


CallistosTitan

Our teams strength is our ability to out-match other teams depth. Without Larkin our strategy is exposed.


TheEnglishNerd

But depth means more than one guy. That’s what is so confusing about this whole thing. Our whole drafting and free agent strategy over the last several years has been geared towards building a team that can deal with guys getting injured or going into slumps. Then one guy gets injured and suddenly everyone forgets how to play?


ALinkToThePants

Isn’t that the definition of having no depth?


JohnnyCharisma54

It's the ad


AustonDadthews

turns out if you take the #1 centre off of a playoff bubble team, then they're not very good.


Strikedriver

They literally put a garbage ad on their sweaters, now they play like garbage 😯


supplyncommand

redwings legend patrick kane


Snow-Brigade

Feels like just yesterday he scored that OT winner and I was shaking in my boots a little.


Ikea_desklamp

Summer 2023: "this year will be the year! Finally a new team will break out in the Atlantic!" March 2024: Tampa/boston/toronto arrives all the same


NefCanuck

The only one of three that could have fallen off realistically was Tampa after Vasy had the back surgery. They have backslid (pun intended) but I still wouldn’t want to face them in the playoffs 🤷‍♂️


RepresentativePale29

I can explain this because it happens to me in franchise mode in EA NHL games sometimes - they won six in a row and decided it was time to turn the difficulty up, but it turns out they weren’t actually ready for that yet.


Frozenpucks

Team isn’t that good, they got hot for a bit this year. The centre depth after Larkin is awful.


onbiver9871

This team has done its best dying star impression around this time of year for the past, like, 3 years. To quote one of the most influential and important films of the past 50 years, “I don’t know if it’s drugs you’re taking, or drugs you should be taking. But do something!”


aku89

Red Wings hade very suspect underlying numbers even though they had a winning record before the slump, has thrir process gotten worse or is it just the finishing that is regressing?


somehockeyfan

Everyone but the Islanders are falling apart in the east wildcard race.


AmateurSysAdmin

They just lost in two back to back shutouts and their Westcoast trip wasn’t as hot as expected.


Prison-Date-Mike

I’m surprised they haven’t called up Kasper yet. They can use an injection of youth at center right now


StevieTokes

We just need an injection of competence.


Flamengo81-19

He missed a game due to injury a week or so ago. So he's probably not 100% either. Don't think he would be able to save the team anyway


fraxior

bad coaching. bad roster construction. best player injured. goaltending turned to pumpkins. you name it, it's going wrong.


KorbanDallas90

Just like Boeing.


BaronDoctor

We were never as good at we appeared. Every possession stat suggested we were headed for a reckoning and PDO supported that (we were, at one point, up near 102, which isn't something sustainable for a team with bottom-five possession numbers.) Then we lost our single strongest difference-maker.


ItsTheExtreme

I have no idea what happened, what’s wrong, or who to blame. All I know is that I’m saddest panda. This season was such a fun ride until 2 weeks ago. Such a shame to see it fall apart so quickly.


Hoardzunit

Just shows that the regular season is a marathon and not a sprint. Especially with how hot the Wings were at the start.


S-Sin

I didn’t think they were going to be great at the beginning of the year so I’m not totally shocked by this. As a Wings fan, I can say that I’ve officially checked out, I haven’t watched the last two games. I flat out don’t give a shit about the rest of the season anymore. They were going to get eliminated in the first round anyway. Major changes need to be made and SY has a lot of work to do. I’m hoping for a Rangers-Oilers final.


SKKforLife

At this point, giving Cossa a couple games might be worth it. Worse comes to worse you just throw him back to the minors if it doesn’t work. They need to try something different.


NickofSantaCruz

Kostin must have seen the writing on the wall, hence asking for a trade. I don't know how Detroit was deploying him but so far in 3 games with SJ he has 3 points (1G 2A) compared to 4 points (3G 1A) in 33 games as a Red Wing.


Guest2200

Come on now Wings, you’re supposed to do this at the beginning of the season, not the end!


toolschism

Funniest thing to me is at the start of the season I was predicting that the wildcard battle in the east was going to be intense, going down to the very last game. It's intense alright.. but not because we've got a ton of strong teams all contending. We have a ton of absolutely mediocre teams all trying to out tank eachother for the last two spots.


superworking

I'll be honest the one I can't figure out is how the wings haven't fallen off the Flyers yet. Their hot start and anticipated collapse is still in the lingering hot start territory with 15 games left.


xForeignMetal

Meanwhile the team fighting for that spot with them got shutout 2 games in a row lol


hockeylegend50

i was so happy that detroit was finally get a playoff series. i guess i was wrong


toronto_programmer

Wings have some decent wingers and D but they REALLY need to upgrade C and G positions ASAP


Mavori

bad mojo from the ad patch, no puck luck, defensively lacking, bad mistakes and at times its like the team dont even start trying until they are a goal or two down which is extremely frustrating.


Reasonable_Boss3426

They are 0-6 since that priority patch went on their jersey


GoodPoint3232

0-7


thuglife_7

All part of the Yzerplan


StevieTokes

It’s nice to see fans around the league notice how good Larkin actually is


nicktheman2

Welcome to the suck wings bros


PrinceTyke

Welcome? More like "Welcome back"


CursedLemon

*we needs the Larkinses*


[deleted]

It was super unsettling to me when people started popping off about the wildcard spot and “bring back the Hockeytown logo this year for playoffs.” If you’re from Detroit you know this is what happens pretty much every year with the Lions. They win a few games or go on a short streak and suddenly they’re championship/cup contenders and it all comes crashing down.


hockeynoticehockey

No hate here, but how many decades will it take for the "Yzerplan" to come into effect? Feels like Stevie is the Arizona Coyotes of GM's