Red Wings remain focused on playoffs
The Detroit Red Wings aren't throwing in the towel.
Like their arena's namesake, the occupants of Joe Louis Arena aren't giving up the fight - that is, keeping alive the NHL's longest active playoff streak which dates back 25 seasons.
Under the tutelage of general manager Ken Holland, who joined the club in 1997 and moved up to the top job a year later, the Red Wings have been the NHL's model of excellence over his tenure, one that includes four Stanley Cup championships, with the most recent coming in 2008.
On Wednesday, a come-from-behind shootout victory over the Boston Bruins marked three straight wins, as the team pushed its record in January to 4-3-2. The Red Wings now have a shot at a four-game winning streak Friday when they face the Buffalo Sabres.
How the team performs down the stretch will ultimately decide its playoff chances, particularly with 26 of its remaining matches coming within the East, half of which are against Atlantic Division foes.
The Red Wings stand points ahead of only the Sabres and New York Islanders in the East, but just four points from the final wild-card spot, with the team carrying a 20-19-6 mark through 45 games.
"We're going to continue to try and be competitive, we're going to continue to try and make the playoffs and our ultimate goal is to eventually be a Cup contender," Holland told Peter Wallner of MLive.com.
With the Red Wings beginning to pass the torch to their younger players, the likes of Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou have been key contributors this season, joining Dylan Larkin, who finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting a year ago. All three have played big roles under coach Jeff Blashill as the Red Wings' focus remains on winning while rebuilding on the fly.
What to do about Thomas Vanek?
When the Red Wings lost top center Pavel Datsyuk in the offseason, who returned home to Russia, the focus turned to recruiting would-be free agent Steven Stamkos. Ultimately, that didn't happen, leaving the Red Wings to split their summer money three ways, adding Frans Nielsen, Vanek, and Steve Ott through free agency.
Vanek and Ott signed one-year deals, making them free agents this summer, meaning the club must soon decide their fates, while the 32-year-old Nielsen was brought in on a six-year pact.
Vanek has impressed through his first season in Detroit. After being bought out by the Minnesota Wild, Vanek landed in Detroit with hopes of rebuilding his game, and the early returns have been positive.
Despite an injury taking 11 games from his season, Vanek is the Red Wings' leading scorer, tallying 31 points. He's been a valuable add by the Red Wings, both on the ice and in regards to the salary cap, as he agreed to a bargain-friendly $2.6-million deal.
But could the Red Wings move Vanek before this year's trade deadline, particularly if the postseason doesn't appear to be in the picture?
If Vanek has his way, it appears he'd like to stay in Detroit, particularly after bouncing around four teams since 2013-14.
"I enjoy my time here. I like the guys. My family likes it here. So obviously I'm hoping to put a good streak here together to get ourselves back in the picture so I can be here," Vanek told Nicholas Cotsonika of NHL.com. "But obviously I understand the business side of it. If I'm moving, I'm getting pretty good at that too."