TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Expectations have shifted in Detroit this season.
After missing out on playoff hockey last season by the slim decision of a tiebreaker, the Red Wings realize they are a team capable of making the postseason. Entering a new season, though, the slate is wiped clean whether they like it or not. Being one point away from playoffs last season is just a missed opportunity. Now comes the difficult task of doing it all over again — and this time, maybe succeeding.
Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-USA TODAY Sports
“It stung for a little bit — for a while, to be honest with you,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “And it was extremely hard to get over that. But I think we found out what we had in the room with our guys.”
[Read More: “I Know I Have a Next Level”: Dylan Larkin Eyeing Healthy Season]
Detroit learned what its group could accomplish last season, but turning the page isn’t so easy. Everything starts over from scratch, only this time, last season’s playoff push raises the stakes for what this group wants to accomplish.
So, from the get-go at training camp, playoff hockey is a focus for the Red Wings. Not clinching a spot in the first week of the season — that’s impossible. Instead, setting foundations Detroit can lean on throughout the year. If playoffs are to become more than aspirational, the Red Wings know the amount of work that must go into this.
“Everybody knows that we want to make the playoffs, but there are steps to be made to get there,” Detroit forward Patrick Kane said. “I mean, we’re not just gonna start the season at 91 points. … We have to work for it.”
The work to be done includes maintaining strengths — offense, for example, which was one of the Red Wings’ few saving graces last season while their defense muddled through the season. Detroit’s roster lost significant offensive contributions with the departures of Robby Fabbri, David Perron, Daniel Sprong and Shayne Gostisbehere. Replacing them both internally and externally is a need the Red Wings recognize.
The other side of the task at hand is addressing deficiencies in a meaningful way, defense being chief among them. In fact, that was one of the primary talking points of Detroit’s offseason, and the tune didn’t…