Five Problems Red Wings Must Address This Offseason (+)

Maybe the question shouldn’t be why the Detroit Red Wings didn’t make the playoffs. Maybe the right question is how did they get as close as they did given the ugliness of their overall defensive play.

The Red Wings ranked 24th overall in team goals-against per game. They gave up 3.33 goals per game. No team in the bottom 10 in that category is in the playoffs this season. The Red Wings defensive numbers worsened as the season wore on, giving up at least four goals per game in 15 of their last 23 games.

In terms of the numbers, the Red Wings were not significantly better than they were in 2022-23. They ranked 2nd overall overall that season, giving up two more goals this year’s team. No team in the bottom 10 made the playoffs in 2022-23 either.