Historic playoff runs and Stanley Cups are what many Red Wings fans are looking forward to each year. However, in recent years, the Red Wings have failed to reach the playoffs, let alone the Stanley Cup, for the last 10 seasons, surpassing the Buffalo Sabres for the longest playoff drought in the league. Lifelong Red Wing superfan Grady Deenik ’26 feels the blame falls on General Manager Steve Yzerman for the lack of successful help to the Red Wings roster.
“For the last few years, the Red Wings have had the same story,” Deenik said. “They are competitive and in a playoff position for the majority of the season, and then we fall apart in March because Yzerman can’t get any good free agent signings.”
It’s not just the lack of skill on the three lines for the Wings that is holding them back; even with the current talent, the Wings find themselves throwing away valuable close games in the final 20 minutes of the game. Varsity Tennis coach and fan Brian Keane is tired of the constant disappointment and wants a change in the system.
“There’s no excuse for missing the playoffs 10 years in a row, especially when you have the winning culture the Red Wings used to have,” Keane said. “The Wings rank dead last in point differential in the third period, leading to a lot of times, leading in the third period to a stunning loss, giving us no points towards the playoffs.”
Other factors, such as injuries, played a huge role in the success of the team in March. Forward Dylan Larkin, one of the team’s captains, suffered an injury that kept him sidelined for nearly three weeks, and as a result, the winning percentage for the Wings drastically decreased. Max Prather ’27 still has hope that the organization will turn things around quickly by making the right moves in the offseason.
“The other Detroit teams were able to complete their rebuilds in only about two to three years,” Prather said. “While it may be the same unexciting ending to a hopeful start at the beginning of the season, I still have faith that a healthy Red Wings squad can be competing for a cup in the next couple of years.”
