Everyone is expecting a leap next season, but inevitably losing some key vets, growing pains for young players and hard competition, do you really expect a playoff berth? I feel like Wings are forever on this treadmill of get good, not good enough, trade assets, draft, repeat.
This is a great question because there’s a real chance the Red Wings could be in for a step back next season largely because of an expected infusion of young players. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson looked very good down the stretch, but he’s still going to need some grace in what will effectively be his rookie season. Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman has said he’ll need to make room for forward Jonatan Berggren and defenseman Albert Johansson, and if both are on the roster, the same will be true for them. There’s a solid chance at least one of Danielson, Carter Mazur or Kasper makes the team, too.
On any given night next season, there likely will be at least two young players in the lineup who were not on the team this past season. And that’s a good thing. It’s progress in the developmental arc. It will help the Red Wings get through a squeeze year under the salary cap before some contracts expire. And it should bring some more young energy to the locker room.
But it will probably lead to a few more mistakes, too. So, whether that means a step back or a step forward (and possible playoff berth) depends on what else they can do this summer. If they mostly promote internally, it will be hard to expect a postseason run. But if they mix in some youth and a couple of key upgrades (goaltending and some playoff-style scoring), I could see them managing to make a similar push to this season.