Very few Detroit Red Wings players are willing to play with a major sense of urgency needed for late-season hockey. It\u2019s why they\u2019re always in a Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoff Wild Card spot to begin March, only to find themselves out of contention by mid-April. Once again, the Wings look like they\u2019re destined for an 82-game season.<\/p>\n
The down-the-stretch phase of the season requires more intensity, more body checks, and more scrums after the whistle. Detroit has done hardly any of this. Instead, they look flat for the first 40 minutes of most games, and when the energy picks up in the third period, it\u2019s often too late.<\/p>\n
Credit Image: \u00a9 Dirk Shadd\/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n The Wings looked like they got their act together when the last week of March rolled around. But in their March 24th loss to the Ottawa Senators<\/em><\/a>, they found themselves down by three goals in the game\u2019s first 31 minutes. Fast-forward to March 28th vs. the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a>, and they were down by four goals 47 minutes into the game.<\/p>\n Their loss on March 31st to the Pittsburgh Penguins followed the same script. Ditto for their April 4th loss to the New York Rangers. In Sunday\u2019s loss to the Minnesota Wild, the Wings scored on their first shot of the game before allowing four unanswered goals and finishing the first 40 minutes with just eight shots on goal.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the common denominator? We have been watching a team playing with zero energy, desire, or even the willingness to defend star players. Dylan Larkin<\/a> is playing hurt. Fans can tell. He\u2019s still giving it everything he has, yet the rest of the team won\u2019t follow suit.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s good news, there are youngsters who can work their way into these roles. Marco Kasper<\/a> and Emmitt Finnie<\/a> jump out. Kasper plays with an edge and few match Finnie\u2019s energy. But Kasper is in his second season and this is the first time Finnie has played late-season NHL hockey. Carter Mazur<\/a> could also be a hidden gem, but he also lacks experience.<\/p>\n Therefore, the Wings must add experience here in the offseason if they want to remedy this issue. They must find a veteran winger who can hold the team together when the going gets tough. The players in the locker room right now aren\u2019t holding up that end of the deal.<\/p>\n Further, find another veteran who will land between two and three bodychecks a game. One who doesn\u2019t mind playing under 11 minutes a contest. That same hard-hitting veteran should also be fine with going after opponents should they land a hard hit on someone like Larkin, Lucas Raymond<\/a>, or Alex DeBrincat<\/a>. And if Steve Yzerman or anyone sitting in the GM\u2019s seat<\/a> this summer can find multiple players to fill the role, then the more the better.<\/p>\n With the Ottawa Senators getting a win on Sunday and the New York Islanders entering the week a point ahead of the Red Wings, busting through this postseason drought is looking less like a reality. Taking the ice with essentially the same team in 2026-27 will lead to the same old results.<\/p>\n If it happens again, then fans are going to lose interest. The Red Wings boast some of the best fans in the NHL, but every fan base has its breaking point. Everyone knows what this lineup is missing, and it\u2019s up to the front office to get this right.<\/p>\nThe Red Wings Need Hitters, Glue Players, and High-Energy Players<\/h3>\n
Red Wings Can\u2019t Afford to Let This Happen Again<\/h3>\n