Red Wings must fix offense to break eight-year playoff absence.

With an 11-13-4 record as of Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings are among the NHL’s most disappointing teams this season. They are now ranked 26th in the league.

General manager Steve Yzerman signed Patrick Kane again, added two-time Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko, and strengthened their goaltender with veteran Cam Talbot after the team narrowly missed the playoffs the previous season. A lot of supporters had high hopes for the season. Unfortunately, Detroit hasn’t had much success.

The Red Wings’ offensive is the main source of their problems. In 2023–24, they scored 3.35 goals per game, ranking ninth overall; in 2024–25, they scored 2.57 goals per game, ranking 27th worldwide. What is the reason for this decline in scores? Let’s look at the problems.

Both shooting % and shots on goal

This season, Detroit is averaging just 25.3 shots per game, which is second to last in the league, despite finishing in the bottom half of the league in 2023–24 with 29 shots per game (23rd overall).

The Red Wings’ shooting percentage has decreased from 11.58% in 2023–24 to 10.13% this season, in addition to fewer shots on goal.

Detroit’s problems are largely caused by fewer shots and a worse shooting %, which will undoubtedly result in fewer goals.

The 5v5 match

On 5v5, Detroit has been among the weakest offensive teams. The team’s biggest issue is perhaps the 5v5 offensive, even though its power play has virtually kept the offense afloat with a seventh-ranked 25.6%.

Overcorrecting the errors

Last but not least, despite having a strong attack the previous season, Detroit frequently struggled in games due to their defense and goaltending. Coach Derek Lalonde may have overcorrected the team’s defensive problems, even if Yzerman did add goalkeeper Cam Talbot, who has been outstanding.

With fewer shots and marginally fewer predicted 5v5 goals from the previous season (2.25 in 2023–24 to 2.08), the squad is playing more conservatively offensively in an attempt to address their defensive problems. Its defense hasn’t exactly benefited from this, either, as they let up the fifth-highest number of goals per game.