Everything in the Detroit Red Wings organization right now points toward one collective goal of ending a playoff drought that has stretched on for a decade.

There is plenty of conversation each offseason about roster additions and subtractions, but the more important discussion is about what this team actually needs to accomplish on the ice. That conversation starts and ends with a number, and that number is 95 points.

The 95-point threshold has proven over time to be the reliable benchmark for earning a wild card spot in the competitive Eastern Conference. Detroit knows that figure well, and painfully so. The Red Wings finished the 2023-24 season with 91 points, missing the postseason by a single point. Four points stood between them and ending the drought that year. 

To reach 95 points, Detroit will need somewhere in the range of 45 to 48 wins, with the final number depending on how many overtime and shootout losses they absorb along the way. It's also worth noting the NHL regular season is adding an additional two games next season, moving to 84 games instead of 82 and could mean the Red Wings will need to win even more than this threshold suggests.

The roster, at least on paper, gives them a fighting chance as the top six forward group has legitimate star power, anchored by Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat, with further additions expected before training camp opens.

On the back end, the team has already been linked to Edmonton's Darnell Nurse as they look to bolster a defensive group that already features Moritz Seider, Justin Faulk, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Simon Edvinsson. If one or two of those pieces click in an elevated role, the defense could take a meaningful step forward.

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In goal, John Gibson enters a contract year fresh off a strong first season in Detroit. A goaltender with his experience and capability playing with something to prove is a useful asset, and if Gibson can sustain his level from a year ago, the Red Wings will be competitive on most nights.

The area that may be hardest to legislate is consistency as several players addressed it directly in end-of-season availability, acknowledging that the team's tendency to swing between highs and lows hurt them across the year. 

An exceptional start to the season gave way to a brutal stretch down the stretch, and that pattern is what ultimately kept them out of the postseason. Steadiness, more than any single addition, may be the most important ingredient of all.

If Detroit can iron out those inconsistencies and put together a season that trends toward 45 to 48 wins, Red Wings hockey in May is a realistic proposition. The math is there, the roster is closer than it has been in years, now it comes down to actually doing it.

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