Red Wings Captain Bashes Front Office for Failed Season

The Detroit Red Wings failed to make progress again this season and the captain believes there was a clear reason.

Mar 24, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) looks to set a play against the Utah Hockey Club during the second period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Detroit Red Wings haven’t played a playoff hockey game since the 2015-16 season, ending a 25-year run of consecutive postseason appearances. The 2024-25 season was supposed to put an end to that drought, and there were times in the season the Red Wings seemed primed to finally make it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Thanks to an 11-13-3 run upon return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Red Wings saw their playoff drought extend to a ninth year. A midseason coaching change wasn’t enough to get the Red Wings over the edge and back into the playoffs.

If you ask captain Dylan Larkin, the Red Wings had a lot of the needed pieces for a playoff push, but a quiet trade deadline sank their season.

It sounds like Dylan Larkin and the rest of Red Wings were discouraged by Steve Yzerman’s trade deadline this year. 👀 pic.twitter.com/8LltFTeDXQ

— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) April 21, 2025

“We didn’t gain any momentum from the trade deadline,” Larkin said. “Guys were kind of down about it.”

Larkin went on to say that a reward from the front office like a key addition to the lineup would have provided a big boost down the stretch.

“It’d be nice to add something,” Larkin said. “Bring a little bit of a spark on the ice and maybe a morale boost, as well.”

Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman has been running the front office in Detroit since 2019 and hasn’t ever had much opportunity to add at the deadline. This year felt different in Detroit, as the Red Wings were a team on the cusp of a playoff spot and could have used an extra piece for the playoff push.

The Red Wings certainly weren’t inactive leading up to the trade deadline, they helped facilitate a deal that sent Yanni Gourde back to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Seattle Kraken.

The Red Wings also added aging names like 35-year-old Craig Smith and 33-year-old netminder Petr Mrazek from the Chicago Blackhawks.

It’s been nearly a decade since the Red Wings made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Little Caesars Arena is one of just two stadiums in the league to never host a playoff game. No one really knows where the Yzerplan is heading, and that includes the Red Wings captain.

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