Pavel Datsyuk offers a bold forecast for the Detroit Red Wings' playoff drought
Photo credit: NHL.com
Detroit Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk offered an outlook on the team's latest situation, which saw friction between Captain Dylan Larkin and GM Steve Yzerman during the summer.
Pavel Datsyuk to many is known as the magic man, a Hall of Famer, and a multiple Stanley Cup champion.
He began his NHL career in the 2001-02 season, and has only worn a winged wheel during his NHL career.
He's been out of the team long enough to offer a fresh perspective on the Red Wings, who finished the year without a berth to the playoffs.
For Datsyuk, the view of the team was harrowing, as he acknowledged the struggles of a rebuild, along with the timeline. But something has changed, and he believes in the Red Wings enough to place them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
. «Here's my prediction - Detroit will reach the conference final. As for Florida, which has won two Stanley Cups, it will be hard to win a third in a row. I think it will be very difficult for them - partly because of the short summer, and also because motivation won't be quite the same.»
Can Dylan Larkin Lead The Way?
Of course, being on the sidelines and out of the Red Wings uniform for more than 10 years hasn't helped. He isn't able to offer any meaningful advice to Dylan Larkin, who is the de facto Red Wings leader.
A leader who hasn't seen the playoffs since the 2015-16 NHL season.
For Datsyuk, though, the statement is clear: the team is capable of being better sooner than we expected. Though we don't know what we should truly expect after 2024-25.
The team finished 6th in the Atlantic Division, with a record of 39-35-8, and was unable to push out the Montreal Canadiens or Ottawa Senators for a Wildcard playoff spot in the East.
Now, they have a plan for the season ahead, and maybe they'll find more natural leaders as more prospects trickle in.
Will the Magic Man's predictions come true?
| POLL | ||
AOUT 11 | 456 ANSWERS Pavel Datsyuk offers a bold forecast for the Detroit Red Wings' playoff drought Do you think forward Pavel Datsyuk, a former Detroit Red Wing and HHOFer, is correct? | ||
| Yes | 368 | 80.7 % |
| No | 88 | 19.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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