Red Wings miss playoffs for 10th straight season, scoring woes among factors

The Detroit Red Wings failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th straight season, extending the longest drought in their 100-year history.

The Red Wings (41-30-9) were eliminated from playoff contention when they lost 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday.

With the Buffalo Sabres ending their 14-year playoff drought this season, the Red Wings have the longest active drought in the NHL. They qualified for the playoffs for 25 straight seasons from 1990-91 through 2015-16.

Here’s a look at what happened in the 2025-26 season for the Red Wings and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Patrick Kane, F; David Perron, F; James van Riemsdyk, F; Travis Hamonic, D; Cam Talbot, G

Potential restricted free agents: Carter Mazur, F; Simon Edvinsson, D

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 6

What went wrong

Same story: For the third straight season, the Red Wings struggled down the stretch and fell out of a playoff spot. This time, they were tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference and had a 12-point playoff cushion on Jan. 24, then went 9-14-4. They let too many points slip away. They blew a 3-1 third-period lead and lost to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime March 4. They blew a 3-2 lead with 1:30 left in the third and lost to the Florida Panthers 4-3 on March 10. After rallying from a 4-1 deficit to tie the Minnesota Wild 4-4 in the third on April 5, they gave up a goal with 1:51 to go and lost 5-4. They blew a 3-2 lead with 16.2 seconds left in regulation and lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in a shootout April 7. Then they blew a 3-2 third-period lead against the Devils on Saturday.

Scoring woes: Since Jan. 24, the Red Wings have averaged 2.59 goals per game, 30th in the NHL, and scored 41 5-on-5 goals, last in the League. Too many veteran forwards have contributed too little offensively in this stretch. Andrew Copp has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 24 games. J.T. Compher has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 27 games. Van Riemsdyk has six points (one goal, five assists) in 26 games. Mason Appleton has three points (one goal, two assists) in 22 games. Perron, acquired from the Ottawa Senators prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6, when he was still recovering from sports hernia surgery, has two goals in 14 games. Michael Rasmussen has no points in 16 games.

Mental toughness: Coach Todd McLellan said improving mental toughness was a goal in training camp. Still, too often the players were flat, fragile or both. McLellan had to challenge the players after the season opener on Oct. 9, a sloppy 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The problem resurfaced late in the season when Detroit started slipping and the pressure was on to make the playoffs. Unsolicited, players brought up how they needed to tune out “outside noise” and how they didn’t care what the media said. McLellan often talked about how they needed to embrace opportunity instead of fear failure, and how they would sag after something negative happened.

Reasons for optimism

Still an improvement: This is still Detroit’s best season since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager April 19, 2019. After bottoming out with a .275 points percentage in 2019-20, the Red Wings improved each of the next four seasons -- .429 to .451 to .488 to .555. They took a step back last season at .524, but they have taken a step forward this season at .569. In the Pacific Division, they would be in first place with 91 points.
 
Career highs: Alex DeBrincat leads Detroit with 40 goals, one off his NHL career high, and has set NHL career highs in assists (43) and points (83). He became the first Red Wings player to reach 40 goals since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. Larkin has 34 goals, an NHL career high. Moritz Seider has set NHL career highs in goals (10), assists (50) and points (60). He is the first Red Wings defenseman to reach 50 assists since Nicklas Lidstrom6 had 60 in 2007-08.
 
Youth movement: Young players had significant roles and gained valuable experience in the NHL: Edvinsson (23), forward Marco Kasper (22), defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka (21) and Emmitt Finnie (20). Two prospects won major NCAA awards Friday: Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante, selected in the second round (No. 47) of the 2024 NHL Draft, won the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s college hockey player. Trey Augustine of Michigan State, selected in the second round (No. 41) of the 2023 NHL Draft, won the Mike Richter Award as the top men’s goalie.