from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

As they head off into another long offseason, the Detroit Red Wings’ focus is to remember this feeling.

Remember how lousy it is.

The Wings gathered for their last morning skate Saturday at Little Caesars Arena, their last skate for five months. While there have been victories to celebrate down the stretch, while the young players headlining the rebuild are ooze confidence, the disappointment of not making the playoffs lingers.

“Our fans deserve more and better than where we’re at,” Niklas Kronwall said.

Fellow veteran Thomas Vanek echoed that outlook within the locker room.

“That’s my message to these young guys: this is not a good feeling,” Vanek said. “You get home, OK, you get to golf, have fun, but all of a sudden it’s the middle of June and you’ve been home for a while already and camp is still a long ways away. It’s not a good feeling. And before you know it, you’re 10 years in the league and you’ve missed the playoffs three times already. There are only so many chances you can get so be better right at the get go.”

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