Heartbreaking interview shows the Detroit Red Wings' reaction to being eliminated from the 2025 NHL playoffs

The Detroit Red Wings extended their playoff drought to a ninth year, as they were unable to claw their way back into the wild card hunt. Their last four games saw them split the series 2-2 against the Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Detroit Free Press would interview Dylan Larkin and Todd McLellan to get an idea of where their head is at as the season will conclude for the Wings in 2025.

Larkin would express disappointment as the stretch of the game from March saw them let teams back into the mix after strong starts. He blamed losing players through trades and injuries as part of the reason why they are where they are in 2025, missing the playoffs once again.

But even then, he'd found purpose in the last three games to play this season before calling it quits and heading out to the golf course.

We agree with him that they owe the fans a solid performance in the last three games.

When asked by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press about the team's elimination from the playoffs, Todd McLellan stressed the need for more work from the team.

Given their lack of consistent play, he'll have to find ways of evaluating the team to help him discern how to approach next season, it sounded like.

During the interview, he felt that they were in a good position before the Four Nations Face-Off, but the two games after the break against Columbus didn't go well.

The resulting matches against Anaheim and Minnesota stung the team's ability to recover, which took longer than he'd liked.

McLellan felt that they failed to take advantage of the schedule when wins were easy to come by, which is another reason why they failed to make the playoffs.

One relatable point he stressed was that instead of the name on the back, everyone who plays for the Red Wings should be focused on the crest on the front.

Focusing on the team structure is a big philosophy for McLellan, and hopefully next season he can get them to improve their play in all zones on the ice.