The Detroit Red Wings have completed the fourth year of what they like to refer to as the “Yzerplan”, named for beloved former team captain and current general manager Steve Yzerman. And while the good news is that the team did make progress in the recently completed 2022-23 NHL season, the bad news is that they once again finished outside of the postseason, making it seven straight years of being unable to compete for the Stanley Cup.
For captain Dylan Larkin, who was re-signed to a lengthy eight year contract extension by the team earlier this year, he believes that they’ve set the wheels in motion for a return to postseason play next year.
“There was a lot of new this year, a lot of new players coming in, a lot of us trying to build chemistry, everyone trying to figure each other out, figure out where they are on the team and in the lineup,” Larkin said. “We had injuries to start camp and hopefully next year we won’t be in that position, and we can really push each other and have a great camp and start the year great.”
“We heard a lot now about Steve’s plan and the direction this is going, where this wasn’t really the year and he wanted to make moves for the future,” Larkin said. “It was very difficult after the trade deadline. We took 4-5 guys out of the lineup, had key injuries.
“But there were plenty of times I felt with the younger players and guys we brought in in the summer, this thing is headed in the right direction. As much as you think about next year you think with the young players coming into our lineup, it’s a much better environment for them to succeed. That’s what I’m really excited about.”
Because Detroit will have had a full season of getting used to playing in head coach Derek Lalonde’s system, Larkin believes that they’ll be able to have an even quicker start to the year next season.
“Newsy’s been saying it to us the last couple weeks, we’re going to start on the 50-yard line and we’re going to be familiar with each other, familiar with the system, and I think that’s huge.”