If you looked at the Detroit Red Wings projected lineup and if someone thought it could legitimately make the playoffs, chances are, you'd laugh. You're not making the playoffs with the lineup as-is unless the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators take a collective step back.
For fans and those of us who've grown impatient, that's not a good look. The Yzerplan has been a slow, painful process, and one that grows more painful when you know the Red Wings are on the cusp of contention, yet Yzerman refuses to add too many assets to make the team better.
Either that, or players just don't want anything to do with Yzerman's Red Wings, which is a shame, considering that they're one of the most successful and most storied teams in sports. Still, it doesn't take away that Yzerman has an organization built to be a playoff threat in 2026-27, should everything go to plan.
That would mean players like Sebastian Cossa and Nate Danielson take the next step and don the winged wheel full-time. It also means those currently with the team hold up their end of the deal and get better.
Detroit Red Wings prospects will give fans a lot of hope in 2025-26
Axel Sandin-Pellikka is another name on that list, as is Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. Not all of them will make the big club all at once, but that's fine. When those players listed above are ready for the NHL, we're gonna have a lot of fun watching this new generation of Red Wings easily contend for a top three spot in the Atlantic or at least a wild card.
Yes, Yzerman could, and probably should, have found better ways to make this happen sooner, especially since he had interest in signing players like Nikolaj Ehlers. Still, it didn't materialize, and Yzerman can say what he wants - if he was looking for a way to bring in that talent without taking no for an answer, he'd have found a way.
But don't let these shortcomings take away from how successful Yzerman's been in building the entire organization. He's crushed it with early-round draft picks and they, for the most part, delivered. That's why, when a few more of them are in the NHL, they'll bust through that playoff drought, whether it's 2026-27 or if they need just one more year to get there in 2027-28.
Could mounting pressure change the Yzerplan in any way, shape, or form?
Here's the one caveat: The Red Wings can't go a third straight year in playoff contention and come up empty-handed. Sure, on paper, this organization looks like it's poised to make the playoffs in one to two seasons, but fans, ownership, and the media only have so much patience here.
This is especially the case for Yzerman, since he's had two chances to give the Red Wings enough firepower to break their current playoff drought, and he didn't make it happen. But I'm very, very curious to see what Cossa and Company can do, even without another year on the big club.
If they look poised to earn a spot in the NHL at some point in 2025-26, or in 2026-27, I wouldn't expect any changes to the Yzerplan, even if it meant another season without earning a playoff berth. But if the Yzerplan stagnates, it wouldn't surprise me if pressure mounts.
Still, throughout all of that, one more steady increase in development for the youngsters not with the big club should keep fans' attention and hope that 2026-27 will be the year.
