Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. Unfortunately, this is not an entirely surprising development. The Red Wings collapsed after the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament. They went 9-13-2 from February 27th onward. And the season ended with a thud against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Red Wings entered the third period with a 3-1 lead. However, a goal from Philippe Myers less than four minutes into the third brought the Maple Leafs within one. Toronto pushed for an equalizer, but came up short. That is until the very last second of the game when Chris Tanev scored to force overtime.

In overtime, the Red Wings didn't even last a minute. Detroit's season came to an end when Scott Laughton scored 56 seconds into the frame. The Winged Wheel finished the 2024-25 campaign with a record of 39-35-8. After the game, Larkin let his feelings be known on the loss and the season as a whole.

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“It’s a disappointing night to finish off a disappointing year,” the Red Wings captain said, via MLive reporter Ansar Khan. “A lot of games like that, especially with how we had the lead, and we talked about it after the second period. There’s something to play for, to get the 40 wins was big for our team, and we didn’t do that. And it’s kind of a story of this season.”

This marks the ninth straight season without playoff hockey for Detroit, extending a franchise record playoff drought. This also marks the first time the team has not improved its standing year over year since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager.

The Red Wings have a lot of work to do in the summer. Pressure is mounting on Yzerman's front office to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs soon. There is a lot going in Detroit's favor heading into 2025-26. Still, a big summer is needed in the Motor City.