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Detroit so far - 17-25-9
5 games remaining
My prediction from January - 19 wins
Current place - 24th
First round pick without lottery win - between 8 and 10
Detroit played hard in a shutout/shootout loss to Columbus. The goals Detroit had found against Dallas just weren’t there as the team faced a Blue Jackets team that has had just as difficult a season as the Wings have. It’s hard to imagine, but true.
The final game in the season series against Carolina marks the 15th game Detroit has played in April. The Wings will have 3 games in 4 days going into May, and then 4 days off before the final two contests against Columbus. The compacted season has been absolutely exhausting. It’s not difficult to see why the “injury bug” has struck, and struck hard. Detroit had almost 10 months away from the game before a cramped 56 game schedule kicked in.
This series has been one of the surprises this season. Detroit leads Carolina (who leads everyone else in the division) 4 games to 3. At worst, Detroit will leave this series tied with the top team in the Central. It may be a case of over performing by Detroit or Carolina thinking of these as “blowoff games”. Essentially, this is last year’s Boston series, but with several more games.
Take a look at the record and draft placement up top. In entering this year, I never considered there would be a chance of Detroit picking 10th overall. While the team has shown improvement, the number of teams that fell off completely is more shocking. 6 teams are within 2 points, and Detroit could end up falling back to the 4th-6th overall pick. Vancouver has several games in hand, as does LA. Regardless, Detroit found a way to have some success in a very difficult situation.
The final kink in all of this is that Seattle will be in the mix for a top pick as well. The rebuild seems destined to lack a top pick. It is a frustration and a nagging reality. You want the team to perform its best. Tank into turnaround has burned more than one franchise as Buffalo could well be back at the starting line again. If Eichel really is dealt along with any of the other high picks, it serves as a warning. Don’t sacrifice culture for a shot at the top pick.
Detroit is still a team that is shedding deals. Old contracts continue to come off the books. However, Yzerman has made huge changes and after this offseason it feels like moving forward will be about adding pieces. He’s shocked me and many of you with bold moves. The GM continues to fly in stealth mode until he pulls the trigger. You don’t see many of these things coming. Abdelkader buyout, Fabbri acquisition, the massive Mantha deal at the very end of the trade deadline. It would be a rare gift to be a fly on the wall and see what Yzerman and Draper are working on next.
The final 5 stretch, what do you want to see? Are any of you concerned about getting a higher draft pick, or just let the guys play and let the chips fall? Carolina will not want to lose this one. It’s the final tuneup for the post season, and Brind’amour’s squad has a lot of pride. This could be a fun final 5.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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