In what now feels like an early spring routine for most fans, the Detroit Red Wings have collapsed in March for the third year in a row and are poised to miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
While there is plenty of blame to throw around for the Wings’ 5-11-1 record since the Four Nations break, there are a few bright spots. Here are four positive takeaways Detroit can take solace in as they already look ahead to the 2025-2026 season.
1. Steve Yzerman may finally be on the hot seat
If nothing else, the 2024-25 season may be remembered as the season that Red Wings fans began to turn on general manager Steve Yzerman.
Because of his status as one of the greatest Detroit athletes ever, Yzerman has been given extreme grace since becoming the Wings’ general manager in 2019. Despite the losing, the questionable trades, and confusing free agency signings, fans continued to have faith in the “Yzerplan” and believed he would eventually turn it around.
However, patience with Yzerman may finally be up. Over the last three offseasons, Yzerman has almost exclusively given large contracts to underperforming players, including Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Justin Holl, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ben Chiarot. He has made several perplexing trades, most notably giving up top defensemen Jake Walman and Olli Maata for nothing. Many fans believed the Wings would be active at this season’s trade deadline to help boost the teams’ playoff odds, but instead, all Yzerman did was bring in yet another veteran goaltender in Petr Mrazek and fourth-liner Craig Smith.
If Steve Yzerman had a different name (perhaps Troy Weaver or Al Avila), he likely would have been fired long ago solely based on the deals he has made.
Now, how is this a positive takeaway? For the first time in Yzerman’s general manager tenure, he finally has some pressure on him, hopefully leading to better decision-making and results. The first step is likely a reshuffle of the pro scouting department. Unfortunately, this will not undo some of the contracts the Wings are already stuck with but should help Yzerman sign or trade for better players moving forward.
The prospect system has also long been Yzerman’s saving grace and should only have a more significant impact with players like Sebastian Cossa or Carter Mazur poised to have more National Hockey League (NHL) time next year.
Although the current outlook is bleak, Yzerman is more than capable of digging deep like he did in his playing days and doing whatever it takes to create a winner.
2. Alex DeBrincat’s chase for 40
Whereas fellow stars Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin have struggled recently, Alex DeBrincat has continued his high-level goal-scoring and is quietly approaching 40 goals.
DeBrincat’s 33 goals lead the team and are tied for the 13th most in the NHL. He has already surpassed his 27-goal total from last season. The Cat may not be a superstar in other facets of the game, but he was brought into Detroit to put pucks in the net, and he is doing just that.
Unfortunately, the Cat’s season is going under the radar due to Detroit's losing streak. Still, a 40-goal chase is a fun storyline to watch down the stretch. There were also some concerns around DeBrincat after an up-and-down 2023 season, but he has seemingly squashed those and should continue his success into next year.
3. Top-ten pick incoming
A silver lining for any losing team is that more losses equals better draft odds. The Red Wings have not had success in previous draft lotteries, but maybe the hockey gods will finally deliver the Wings a top pick, and they can land James Hagens, Michael Misa, or Matthew Schaefer.
Even if the Wings strike out again in the lottery, they still appear poised to have a top-ten pick. With 10 games remaining, Detroit has 72 points and the 11th-best draft odds. They are within striking distance of the Ducks (72 points), Bruins (69 points), Penguins (71 points), and Kraken (68 points). If the Red Wings continue to lose and those teams win a couple of games, Detroit could sneak into the sixth-best draft odds.
Although most fans are tired of rooting for Detroit to tank, the 2025 draft has some intriguing prospects that could pay dividends. Assuming the Wings stay in the seven to 10 pick range, defensemen Jackson Smith or Radim Mrtka and forwards Caleb Desnoyers, Victor Eklund, Roger McQueen, or Jake O’Brien may be available.
4. Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, and prospects showing promise
Despite being up and down at times, the performances of Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, and other prospects can be viewed as one of the few successes of this Red Wings' season.
Kasper’s counting stats (15 G, 15 A, -4) may not leap off the page, but they are impressive when digging deeper. Buried on the bottom lines, Kasper had just two goals across the first three months of the season. Following Derek Lalonde’s firing in late December, Kasper moved to the top line, saw his ice time increase by nearly four minutes, and produced 12 goals in the last three months. He has consistently been one of Detroit’s more active players on both sides of the ice and, with an entire season on the top line, it would not be surprising to see #92 fully breakout next year.
Edvinsson has had as good almost rookie year as anyone, especially given his difficult circumstances. Playing over 20 minutes a night, he has been tasked with anchoring the second defensive pairing and at-times playing top line with Moritz Seider. Although he occasionally shows his lack of experience, he has proven up to the task of handling other teams’ top lines and produced a little on the offensive end (7 G, 22 A, +8). The Red Wings bringing in more defensive depth in the offseason will ease the pressure off of Edvinsson and allow him to shine more offensively as well.
Albert Johansson (2 G, 6 A, -6) and Elmer Soderblom (4 G, 6 A, +2) have also had a few bright spots, and they will hopefully continue to grow as their roles increase next year.
While these four have been strong for Detroit this year, the most exciting prospects may still be yet to come. The hope is that Cossa, Mazur, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Amadeus Lombardi, and William Wallinder may each see opportunity in Detroit as soon as next year. Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Trey Augustine are not too far behind either.
The current lineup and losing streak may be discouraging, but the prospects provide some optimism that the best is still yet to come for Yzerman’s Red Wings.
