Concerned - we might not make it in to the playoffs

[Nev 1,085]

This is a great read btw, that I heartily recommend everyone to check out. Especially interesting how Holland changed his GM style post lockout, and how his success rate in the draft is so much higher than the league average.

http://www.coppernblue.com/2012/2/8/2202287/ken-hollands-draft-success

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

After reviewing the standings, I'd like for the Blues to finish 6th and goon up the Canucks, the Wings to stay in 7th and horribly upset the Ducks and the Wild in 8th so Chicago can show just how far the Wild have "really come".

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

[dats13owns 157]

I've been a believer but this is getting more concerning day by day. -2 in the GA column just isn't good enough. This team just can't put it together when they have a chance to create separartion and find a way to kill their own momentum every time they have any.

Let's hope I'm wrong. I don't think they're contender. I just want the streak to continue and a couple extra weeks of Red Wings hockey to watch.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Losing the season series to the Blue Jackets is inexcusable. Detroit should have AT LEAST four additional points.

[RedWingsRox 614]

We're pretty close to the bubble now.

[TheOwl 77]

If any of the teams below us get hot it's over. The Wings have a tough schedual for the rest of the season.

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

We're pretty close to the bubble now.

They are the bubble. With St. Louis winning today, that leaves Detroit alone in the 8th seed.

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

If any of the teams below us get hot it's over. The Wings have a tough schedual for the rest of the season.

The Wings have 1 game against any team (@Calgary) that has basically no chance at a playoff spot. Also, with two games in hand, that last Dallas game may be very interesting since they could need that win to get to the same point level as the Wings.

[loutswings 47]

The other teams have some brutal road games coming up. It won't matter though if we don't take care of business.

[HadThomasVokounOnFortSt 878]

I still think we will just sneak into this playoffs at 7th seed and give Ducks a run for the money.

[Motown4013 350]

Well, we all have to start rooting for the Hawks, the Ducks, Vancouver and Minnie. The next week will be difficult play as we need a W against a super hot San Jose team on Thursday ( Ill be at the game cheering our boys on) or Chicago on the weekend. This week is critical because 7, 9 and 10 all have an easier schedules...hopefully we get a few lucky bounces for us and St. Louis, PHX and Dallas take a loss or 2.

Nxt week it gets a bit easier with games against the Preds, The Flames and Vancouver who we have played well all year.

Phx and Dalls have harder schedules that us..PHX plays SJ twice, as does Dallas. They also plays Anaheim and Chicago. Dallas has LA twice and Chicago.

C'me on boys....we can DO this

[VM1138 1,921]

At this point, I'd honestly rather not make the playoffs. In fact, I think I'd be okay if we lost the rest of the games. The lower we are in the standings, the better. We need higher draft picks more than we need a 1st round playoff exit right now.

This obsession with draft picks is i

excessive. Sports is about winning. Do the best you can now, sign or trade for your stars. Much more likely to meet success with a trade than a draft signing.

The Wings have to draft for depth, but not for supertars.

As mad as this team makes me recently, they will make playoffs, and they can go far depending on who they meet.

We know they can beat good teams. We undrrachieve against weak ones, which won't be a problem in the playoffs.

Just watch out for Chicago, I guess.

Edit: Looking at the top 8 right now, the only real obvious threats are Chicago, maybe Minnesota could be a Cinderella team of sorts, and maybe, just maybe St. Louis.

[GoOzzieGo 22]

I'd hate for the streak to come to an end, but what really is gained by making the playoffs and embarrasingly being booted in the first round? Maybe missing the playoffs would serve as an eye opener to Holland that his team really isn't all that good? Maybe missing the playoffs lights a fire under his butt to make some real improvements to this team in the future?

[StormJH1 231]

Standings are deceptive because most of the teams we are competing with have had a game in hand (or two) on us for virtually the whole season. I'm very concerned, but if you had to ask me to decide point blank if we're getting in, I still think we're in as the 7th or 8th seed. COL in the 12th spot is arguably more scary than PHO, DAL, or EDM b/c they have goaltending and loaded up a bit with Gaborik.

It's also funny how persepctives differ on this. Yes, the Wings' minus-2 goal differential is pathetic. But I live in Minnesota, and while people really think of that team as "surging", they're only a +6. So, how do you look at that? Minny adds $196 million of firepower and Detroit loses tons of key players in the offseason (paired with tons of man hours due to injury)...and the Wild have scored 4 more goals than the Wings (though in one less game). The difference between most teams in this league is alarmingly insignificant, even though the results on particular evenings can make it feel as if one team is clearly better than the others around it in the standings.

[Motown4013 350]

I'd hate for the streak to come to an end, but what really is gained by making the playoffs and embarrasingly being booted in the first round? Maybe missing the playoffs would serve as an eye opener to Holland that his team really isn't all that good? Maybe missing the playoffs lights a fire under his butt to make some real improvements to this team in the future?

If Holland doesnt see the glaring weaknesses in this team by now....begging for a playoff spot, well...He needs to retire

[StormJH1 231]

I'd hate for the streak to come to an end, but what really is gained by making the playoffs and embarrasingly being booted in the first round? Maybe missing the playoffs would serve as an eye opener to Holland that his team really isn't all that good? Maybe missing the playoffs lights a fire under his butt to make some real improvements to this team in the future?

What you are saying is technically accurate, and I think it will occur sooner than later. But the Kings won the Cup last year and were a +15 in goal differential. Florida had an inspired run in the playoffs, and was a THIRD seed with a -24 differential. Like it or not, the Salary Cap, 3-point games, and the current configuration of this game are designed to keep the teams as similar as possible in the regular season. There doesn't even seem to be much of a correlation with which teams were great in the regular season and which teams "flash" in the Playoffs.

Given that backdrop, it is entirely conceivable that the Wings sneak into the playoffs and win a series or two. I don't think that will happen, but it certainly could. If that happens, you'd have to consider it a "successful" season, given everything that's happened since July 1st.

The fact is, the Wings are not going to "bottom out" next season, or maybe even the one after that. Not with Datsyuk's possible last season, and Zetterberg still at the helm. I think it's easy for Wings fans who are both spoiled and accustomed to being serious contenders for the Cup to say that they don't want to do this anymore, but I also look at that half-empty lower deck at JLA and think: "If this were a 12th place team, wouldn't this only get worse?"

You have to get REALLY bad to appreciably benefit in the draft (13th to 15th, and for multiple seasons), and this team isn't constructed to do that, even if they dumped a few Franzen-like players. Since we're stuck in the middle anyway, my view is that it's better to get better than get worse.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

If we don't get Helm and Bertuzzi back soon, we're done for. We absolutely need more depth up front, we have to generate more offense and get in on the fore check harder. The Wings are too much of a soft, perimeter team right now to compete. Time to dig deep or we won't be in the dance.

[13dangledangle 958]

Losing the season series to the Blue Jackets is inexcusable. Detroit should have AT LEAST four additional points.

We have said how huge that was all season, losing a season series to the Blue Jackets is pathetic. That being said I see the Wings really coming together in front of Jimmy in the finally games....Playoff hockey starts for us NOW

[loutswings 47]

Has a time table been setup for when those two come back??? It's almost like they would be better off taking the year off.

[St. Michael (the Red Wing) 422]

We have said how huge that was all season, losing a season series to the Blue Jackets is pathetic. That being said I see the Wings really coming together in front of Jimmy in the finally games....Playoff hockey starts for us NOW

I agree. From here on out every game till the end is like a playoff game.

Edited April 8, 2013 by St. Michael (the Red Wing)

[VM1138 1,921]

I'd hate for the streak to come to an end, but what really is gained by making the playoffs and embarrasingly being booted in the first round? Maybe missing the playoffs would serve as an eye opener to Holland that his team really isn't all that good? Maybe missing the playoffs lights a fire under his butt to make some real improvements to this team in the future?

If we miss the playoffs, they'll just say it was because of injuries and not change anyway.

I can't wrap my head around "what's the point?" Sports is about winning. That's it. I don't even have a logical explanation for it, but if you can get even one point ahead of the next guy, you do it. What's the point of reasoning it? The whole point is to compete. I don't care if we miss out on a high draft pick, the whole point of a season is to win.

[puckloo39 5,686]

It will be a shame if the Wings don't make the post-season... almost inconceivable. Yes, I do think that word means what I think it means.

If that happens, it's not like the Wings didn't try and didn't know it could happen. They're doing their best with the situation. That I believe... not sure more bodies or different ones (for too much money) would have made that big a difference in Year One of our Lidstrom-less existence.

[chrisdetroit 189]

It will be a shame if the Wings don't make the post-season... almost inconceivable. Yes, I do think that word means what I think it means.

If that happens, it's not like the Wings didn't try and didn't know it could happen. They're doing their best with the situation. That I believe... not sure more bodies or different ones (for too much money) would have made that big a difference in Year One of our Lidstrom-less existence.

Guys missing from last years team:

Lidstrom

Holstrom

Stuart

Hudler

Bertuzzi

Helm

that's 6 regulars out 18 regular skaters - fully 1/3 of the team.

Veteran guys that they brought in to help

Coliaccavo

Sammuelson

Tootoo

2 of the 3 have missed almost the entire season.

Rookies that are filling in:

Lashof

Smith

Kindl (partial season experience)

Andersson

Nyquist/Kindl

Based on this, just to make the playoffs have been a struggle.

I am glad we didn't mortgage our future. One or two more expensive free agents were not going to replace the 1/3 of the team that we lost.

[Electrophile 3,554]

If we need to miss the playoffs for this team to finally start making some much needed changes, maybe we should bite the bullet. I'm not suggesting the team purposely lose, I'm saying that if we end up not making it this season, try not to look at it as the end of the world. The team is in trouble, and maybe we need sit in the corner with the dunce cap on our head for a while and figure out what needs to happen so it gets fixed.