In Red Wings Land

Nature of NHL, NBA playoffs provides Red Wings more hope than Pistons | MLive

Just get in and there’s a chance to advance.

That was the Detroit Red Wings’ way of thinking near the end of their 25-year playoff streak, one of the reasons they delayed their rebuild. It didn’t pan out; they were eliminated in the first round the final three years of the run (2014-16).

But this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs reinforces why low seeds aren’t just first-round fodder. They have hope.

Hope is not a strategy.

The Red Wings can’t just get in and hope. Is it encouraging to know that it’s more likely any team can win in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Absolutely, but as mentioned above, just getting in and hoping is a big reason the Wings’ roster is a giant mess.

This team needs to do a proper rebuild and ice a team with some high-end talent and depth. A lot of the teams that pulled upsets are full of top ten picks and/or went all in at the deadline. Steve Yzerman preached patience and he’s right. Just getting into the tournament and hoping isn’t enough (or smart).

Around the League

The 8 Deadly Sins Of The First Round | Deadspin

The Pittsburgh Penguins were guilty of the deadly sin of gluttony.

This is not a Phil Kessel joke.

Well done.