The Detroit Red Wings now have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. Hockey fans on social media discussed the team's drop in the standings, who's to blame and what could come next.
The Detroit Red Wings went from being first place in the Atlantic Division to being eliminated from playoff contention in two-and-a-half months.
The Original Six club that made the playoffs for 25 straight seasons, winning the Stanley Cup four times in that span, will now follow that streak with a 10-year playoff drought.
And social media platform X has a ton of reactions.
"Another year of heartbreak, thanks boys!" @gabby_burge posted on X.
"Well deserved for this team. Another total collapse," @DaveR886365 posted. "They had so many chances to get locked into a playoff spot. Half this roster should be gone next season."
Detroit led the Atlantic on Jan. 25. They were seven points ahead of the Boston Bruins and 14 points ahead of the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators went 20-6-3 since then, and the Bruins went 13-7-8. But Detroit went 9-14-4.
"I'm confused because Detroit fans were saying Ottawa was cooked in December???" @ottcity_ethan posted.
Boston and Ottawa clinched a playoff spot on Saturday when the Red Wings lost 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils. Detroit took the lead three different times in the game, including in the third period, but New Jersey scored two unanswered and added an empty-netter. Fans booed their team at the end of the game.
"Absolutely PATHETIC. In a season full of pathetic choke jobs, it's fitting to be eliminated by blowing yet ANOTHER third period lead," @JohnMclopsid said. "EMBARRASSING."
"It's been a full decade and the Wings still can't figure it out," @dChills07 wrote. "Absolutely pathetic for a team that once led the Atlantic, and I'm saying this as a fan of a division rival. What a waste of a season."
The only playoff spot left up for grabs in the Eastern Conference is third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Bruins and Senators clinched the wild-card spots and have more points than the Philadelphia Flyers, which sit third in the Metro at the moment.
Four teams can still get that last playoff spot in the East. Detroit is not one of them, only because it's in a different division.
In fact, if the Wings were in the Pacific Division, they would lead it.
"Twelfth best team in the league for the first time since 2015 but sadly sixth best in the division," @JarradBruessel wrote. "A freaking stacked division is our downfall. Teams in the metro can finish with fewer points and still make it in. The league's playoff system is a joke."
There were also some signs of hope from their top scorers throughout the season.
For the first time since 2008-09, the Wings have three players averaging at least 0.90 points per game: Alex DeBrincat (83 points in 80 games), Lucas Raymond (76 in 78) and captain Dylan Larkin (67 in 73).
Larkin was out with a lower-body injury for seven games in March, and the Wings fell out of a playoff spot in that span with a 3-3-1 stretch.
"For everyone blaming Larkin for a single second of this: stop watching and go find a new team," @Ladiesman293221 wrote. "He's given 150% to this franchise for his entire career & people are turning on him because of a March collapse that happened while he was injured. Larkin isn't the problem."
A reply said: "He's not the problem. But he's also not the solution, either."
Part of the online discourse has focused on GM Steve Yzerman, who took over in 2019.
"Time for Yzerman or Larkin to go," @scurvy_dog6 said. "The leadership in this organization is rotten. Not sure if it's in the room or front office but those are the two that have been here long enough to shoulder the blame."
"If you blame Yzerman you're an idiot," wrote @Wickham_Ty. "Team needs to find its identity and cut the fat. Go Wings."
When it looked like the Red Wings had what it took to not only make the playoffs but potentially get past the first round, results changed quickly. Injuries and a very competitive Atlantic Division played a factor in what happened, but ultimately, the team lost its cushion in the standings and failed to get it back.
Now, the debate about what should happen with the Red Wings will continue for a long time as they take the unwanted lead for the longest active playoff drought.
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