State Your Case: Will Red Wings or Sabres reach playoffs first?

The Detroit Red Wings haven't qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2015-16 seasib. The drought for the Buffalo Sabres has been even longer, their last postseason appearance in 2010-11.

But their fortunes are slowly changing. The Red Wings (11-6-4) are fourth in the Atlantic Division and in a playoff position. Under first-year coach Derek Lalonde they have been one of the surprises in the first quarter of the 2022-23 NHL season.
The Sabres (9-12-1) have been up and down this season, winning seven of their first 10 games before losing eight straight. They're six points out of a playoff spot.
They played against each other in Detroit on Wednesday, each trying to continue a push for the postseason.
But which team will get there first, whether it's this season or maybe 2023-24?
That's the question before NHL.com writers Dan Rosen and Amalie Benjamin in this installment of State Your Case.
Rosen: Before I start my argument for the Red Wings, how about a little praise for the Sabres? I know that seems odd but hear me out. I like what the Sabres have done. I like the young core they're building and growing with. I like Don Granato as the coach who can guide them to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. I hope they don't readjust along the way because the growing pains they're experiencing now are all part of it. But the Red Wings are in the playoff race right now. They could make it this season. I hesitate to say the Sabres knocked themselves out with their eight-game losing streak from Nov. 4-19, but it's hard to make up for that, especially when you're a borderline playoff team at best. They'll be playing catchup all season. The Red Wings are one of the teams they have to catch. I keep waiting to see if the Red Wings are going to drop out of the race and they just keep winning games. And if they don't get in this season, next season they'll be a year older, wiser and their veteran players will still be in their primes. The Sabres will still be growing. The Red Wings fast-tracked their rebuild in the offseason with the additions of forwards David Perron and Andrew Copp, defenseman Olli Maatta and goalie Ville Husso. Perron is a Stanley Cup champion (2019 St. Louis Blues). Maatta is a two-time champion (2016 and 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins). Copp has played in the conference finals twice, with the Winnipeg Jets in 2018 and the New York Rangers last season. Their experience is invaluable. The Sabres are behind. They'll lose the race to the playoffs against the Red Wings, but they'll get there eventually if they stay the course.

Benjamin:I see what you're saying, Dan. First, let me state that I don't think either team is bound for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Though I truly respect what the Red Wings are doing right now, I don't see it lasting. In the end, I believe the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers will jump the Red Wings, which leaves us with next season. And the place I want to start is with someone you mentioned earlier: Granato. It was really instructive to me to hear the Sabres players talk about Granato, including at the North American Player Media Tour in September. Rasmus Dahlin, for one, spoke glowingly about how Granato has been good for a team still learning to win, hasn't put pressure on them, and how he has paved the way for them to have success in a way that seemed different than some of the previous Sabres coaches. I think that still holds true. He has confidence in what he is continuing to build with this young team, and confidence that the bad experience of the eight-game losing streak will balance with the 7-3-0 start to the season and will yield a very good team in the not-too-distant future. I like him to guide this group. I like him to eventually break whatever curse was once put on the Sabres and I think it will happen sooner than later.

Rosen: I'll counter your Granato argument, which I agree with, by giving you another reason the Red Wings will get to the postseason before the Sabres: Derek Lalonde. Detroit's first-year coach is a winner. He was an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning the past four seasons, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, and get back to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Before that, he coached Iowa of the American Hockey League for two seasons, becoming the first coach in their history to have a winning season in 2016-17, a 22-point improvement from the previous season. He was a coach of the year in the ECHL with Toledo, which won 97 of 144 games under Lalonde. He won a league championship and coach of the year honors with Green Bay of the USHL. He's followed a similar path to that of Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who is one of the most successful coaches in NHL history. Lalonde has been groomed for success as an NHL coach and he's already having it. His impact on the Red Wings coupled with the veteran players they have, many who have also been winners in previous NHL stops, will fast track them to the postseason.
Benjamin: Fine, fine, fine. You make some good points. I'm going to toss in a comparison that I think bodes well for the Sabres: the New Jersey Devils. Even Lindy Ruff, coach of the searing-hot Devils, sees a future for the Sabres that could look like what the Devils are experiencing now. Buffalo lost 3-1 to New Jersey on Friday, but Ruff before the game, "You look at the Sabres team and you look at a group that's a lot like us. All of a sudden, they're just going to find the right groove." And Ruff's a guy who's seen a lot of hockey. Really, though, the Sabres are the youngest team in the NHL (average age of 25.96) that I think will start to figure it all out in a hurry, using speed and creativity to find themselves in the playoff chase. We've seen Dahlin become a force this season (24 points; eight goals, 16 assists in 21 games). Tage Thompson is a star with 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 22 games. Alex Tuch (22 points; 10 goals 12 assists) is exactly the type of young veteran that can help a group like this. So, yeah, like Ruff, I'm seeing all the right signs for the Sabres to turn it on sooner than later.