Detroit's Decade of Absence: The NHL's Longest Active Playoff Drought
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Once a powerhouse with 25 straight postseason appearances, the Red Wings now struggle to find the identity and goaltending necessary to return to the dance.
The Detroit Red Wings have officially entered the most difficult stretch in the history of the franchise. As Sports Illustrated first reported, Detroit has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, marking the longest active playoff drought in the NHL.
This current slump stands in stark contrast to a previous era of unprecedented consistency. Sports Illustrated notes that for 25 consecutive seasons, Detroit was a postseason fixture, a run that included four Stanley Cup championships and six trips to the Finals. That legacy was built on the backs of stars such as Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg.
The slide began after the 2015-16 season, when the Red Wings were eliminated in five games by the Tampa Bay Lightning. That series served as the final NHL appearance for Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg retired two years later following the 2017-18 campaign. Sports Illustrated reports that the retirement of those core leaders forced the franchise into a complete rebuild, leaving the team with a supporting structure but a lack of elite "race car drivers."
While the team has integrated newer talents like Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Simon Edvinsson, the roster has struggled to find stability in net. Sports Illustrated highlights a critical void in goaltending, noting the team has lacked a bona fide number one since the tenure of Jimmy Howard.
In a move to address the future of the position, Detroit traded goaltender Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth in a draft-day deal. In exchange, the Red Wings used the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft to select left winger Jeffrey Hurlbert. The decision to move Cossa was driven by the emergence of Trey Augustine, a second-round pick from the 2023 draft. Augustine is coming off a standout season at Michigan State University, where he recorded a 24-9-1 record, a .929 save percentage, and a 2.11 goals-against average.
Detroit's current drought ties them for the second-longest in NHL history with the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, trailing only the Buffalo Sabres' 14-season streak, which ended this past season. As the franchise looks toward the 2026-27 season, the goal is to ensure the drought does not extend to an 11th year.