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Red Wings 1200-game veteran makes feelings known on teams recent play
The Detroit Red Wings are in a tough spot with eight games left in the NHL season, and veteran Patrick Kane made his feelings known about Todd McLellan and the team.
The Detroit Red Wings have seen competition in the playoffs since the 2016 season. Since his arrival in 2019, GM Steve Yzerman has attempted to build a foundation for that purpose, but has fallen flat as 2025 passes and they're not even fringe Stanley Cup contenders.
As it stands, the Red Wings have 75 points and are four points behind the Montreal Canadiens, who have taken back the second wild-card spot in the East.
With the race staying tight in the East between the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers, Head Coach Todd McLellan needs to find a way out of this slump.
Showtime Speaks Out
The Red Wings' 1200-game veteran Patrick Kane would issue a statement in light of the thrilling race between the four wild card contenders in the East.
"You can look at it and study it, but it comes down to winning hockey games ourselves,» Kane stated, via NHL.com. «We were talking about it, you win one game, you're one point out. Suddenly, the Rangers and Canadiens win, and you're three points out. So that's just kind of the nature of the situation we're in. Obviously, we're going to need to have a good record here down the stretch.»
The Red Wings faithful are skeptical given the team's disappointing performance as of late.
GM Steve Yzerman's inability to build a contending team is beginning to show, and this late in the season, the team needs every point.
That is a difficult ask when players like Dylan Larkin fail to produce at key moments in the season like now, as he's been scoreless in the last five games.
Kane's words are full of hope and determination because that's what he knows, and what it takes to win.
However, as the Wings have the second-longest playoff drought in the NHL, it will take serious buy-in from all players on the team.
While they're not the Buffalo Sabres, who are now on a 13-year drought, if they cannot defeat any one of the next playoff contenders in their upcoming schedule, it could spell disaster for the year.
The Detroit Red Wings are 34-33-7 and 6th in the Atlantic Division.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 3 | 185 ANSWERS Red Wings 1200-game veteran makes feelings known on teams recent play Do you think forward Patrick Kane can push the Detroit Red Wings into a wild card playoff spot? | ||
| Yes | 75 | 40.5 % |
| No | 110 | 59.5 % |
| List of polls | ||