As the Detroit Red Wings celebrate their centennial season in the National Hockey League, their goal remains the same - it's time to bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Little Caesars Arena for the first time.
Dylan Larkin, who is entering his 11th season in the NHL, was only a rookie in 2015-16 when the Red Wings last earned a postseason berth in what was the second-to-last campaign played at historic Joe Louis Arena.
A new wave of Red Wings talent has emerged in recent years led by Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, two of the most impactful Draft selections of general manager Steve Yzerman's tenure.
Earlier in the week, forward Andrew Copp said that he feels the time is now for the Red Wings to make the playoffs, a sentiment echoed by Seider.
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"Obviously, we have to come out ready with a good start and do everything that's in our power to get there," Seider said following Thursday's practice. "Other than that, eventually you have to put it out there to hopefully achieve it. It should be our goal to get into the playoffs for the first time in a very long time."
Looking too far ahead in one's season can ultimately prove to be a distraction from the immediate task at hand for the Red Wings, which is getting off to a better star this season than they did last season.
"We have to take it step by step and not look too far ahead, just focus on the pre-season games and get off to a good start with Todd (McLellan) here," Seider said. "We'll see how the season goes."
Seider, who will be playing in his fifth NHL campaign, believes that his first Training Camp under McLellan was more detail oriented.
"It's Time": Dylan Larkin Lays Out Clear Goal For Red Wings
The city of Detroit hasn't hosted a Stanley Cup Playoff game since April 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena, who at that time were overseen by general manager Steve Yzerman.
"I think that we've always had good camps, we were always really prepared," he said of his previous Training Camps from 2021 through 2024. "Maybe it was a bit more demanding and a bit louder. Todd takes his time to really detail it out there, and I think he does a really good job with it. I think we're really prepared."
Unlike many NHL players who stay engaged by watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs even though their team isn't participating, Seider isn't one of them.
"I'm not a huge fan of it - the anger and bitterness sits a little bit, I don't really want to watch anything," he said of watching the playoffs from home. "It's kind of my way to go about it."
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