The playoffs are a hot topic right now. As Detroit’s losing streak extended into six games this week, the team lost the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. There’s a lot of conversation happening about whether the team should push for that playoff spot or strip it down and rebuild from scratch. There are arguments for both sides, so we asked our team of writers what their preference was. Their opinions are presented here, in a debate format, alternating between the PROS and the CONS of pushing for the playoffs.

There weren’t many people, if any, who had the Red Wings succeeding as well as they are this season. How great have ‘the kids’ been? But further to this, the majority of the forwards have exceeded expectations. This is also Ken Holland’s final year of his contract and why would he want to miss the post-season? Don’t be surprised that in the 11th hour, KH decides to add to his core players.

Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha have lead the way with a combined 44 points in 52 games. Athanasiou, after returning from his stand-off, has 8 points in 16 games with minimal ice time – thanks to Coach Blashill. Larkin, who is dealing with a 6.0% shooting percentage, should see an increase in goals-per-game throughout the remainder of the season. An unforeseen, and fortunate, surprise has been Abdelkader. I personally prefer him playing bottom-6 minutes on Nielsen’s wing, but when he’s received top-6 ice time, he’s produced. Abdelkader and Green round-out the four points leaders this season. If KH can add defence prior to the February 26th trade deadline, we can ice a more rounded and competitive team every night.

Within the Atlantic and Eastern conference, there have been an abundance of surprises and disappointments. Tampa Bay, Toronto, and Columbus have played to what everyone had predicted – playoffs. Notable shortcomings thus far have been Montreal and Boston, as well as, Washington and Pittsburgh who hold both wild card positions, respectively. Montreal, however, has just received their saviour back and he has lead them to 2 straight wins with Vezina-caliber play. New Jersey and Detroit have taken advantage of these disappointments to currently hold down playoff positions. The New York Islanders have played well recently to grab the third playoff position in the Metropolitan. If expected playoff teams are going to play poorly this season, Ken Holland should take advantage of this opportunity to solidify a wild card position or sneak into the top 3 in the Atlantic division.

This is Ken Holland’s final year of his contract. While fans shouldn’t view this as a reason to cheer for playoffs, we can expect he won’t want to leave his legacy on another disappointing season. I’m cringing as I write this, but I would not be surprised to see KH trade 2019 draft picks away to receive rentals or other young talent. With no reports of a Holland extension, the 2019 draft will not be on his radar. Holland has been vocal about piecing a playoff team together on-the-fly rather than hosting a fire sale. I’ve always viewed Carolina as a potentially great trade partner, and if they’re willing to move Pesce or Slavin for Nyquist or Tatar plus, I wouldn’t be complaining. Holland has an abundance of options in front of him and don’t be surprised to see him try to gain an extension by making playoffs in front of an LCA crowd.

The Wings have played well enough that adding pieces to this roster would create an opportunity to win every night. The teams around them have created a situation that a playoff spot is the Wings’ to lose. Holland should play it smart and take advantage of underperforming teams to add to his defence. Holland also needs to work with Blashill to get Athanasiou back into the top 6 with Larkin and Mantha. With AA back into an important role, the Wings can sport 3 scoring lines with a 4th line that can also put the puck in the net. This would be very tough to defend against.

As Jim Mora once said, “PLAYOFFS???” A quarter into the 2017-18 season, the Wings have already suffered two 5 game losing streaks, and the reality is, this team isn’t good enough win (which even Henrik Zetterberg said) especially in the postseason. Do we really want to lose out on a top draft pick, just so the year can end in an inevitable first round exit? I don’t know about you, but having watched 4 first round exits in 5 years, wasn’t exactly fun to see. And in a year like this, pushing for the playoffs would just be silly. This is due to the fact that the 2018 Draft, is one of the strongest for defensemen in a long time. The thought of having one of Rasmus Dahlin, Adam Boqvist, Quinn Hughes, Ryan Merkley, Or Bode Wilde is just too much to pass up on. Should they burn it all to the ground and start over? No, but when the trade deadline comes, selling needs to happen. When Mike Green is scoring like this, and there is no way he will be able to return next season due to the cap, not moving him will be unacceptable. The return for him could really help fast forward this rebuild on the fly. We’re talking the potential to bring in a first round pick (In a deep draft) and a prospect. The idea that the Wings are completely screwed for years to come is quite overrated, as we’ve seen the true emergence of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, and Andreas Athanasiou, but adding another top prospect will help round out this teams core of the future. Some fans have been fooled by the true state of this team, as their flirting with the third spot in the Atlantic Division, however, over half the division is in the bottom 10 of the NHL, and the Wings are only a few points from being in the bottom 5.

Nobody wants to watch a losing team. Detroit should absolutely be pushing for a playoff spot, especially with their attendance issues at Little Caesars Arena. If they were in the Metropolitan Division, I’d say ‘probably not’. If they were in the Central Division, I’d say ‘no chance’. But they’re in the Atlantic Division and in the Atlantic Division even the Florida Panthers have a chance of making the playoffs!

As Graham pointed out, Detroit has some seriously good emerging talent. They can make it on the backs of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, and Tomas Tatar. On top of that, Jimmy Howard has been excellent this year. They are one or two pieces away from being seriously competitive, so why not go for it? Move Athanasiou or Nyquist if it means you can bring in a young, stud defenseman. This team’s needs have been identified and if being in the playoffs is just a matter of a defensive upgrade, then make the upgrade and play in the playoffs.

Cameron doesn’t want to watch another first round exit. I say give me the first round! Not having Red Wings hockey to watch last April sucked and I would much rather them give that experience to the young players while tweaking on the fly to build a real contender. After all, the last place team has an 80% chance of losing the first overall pick.

So yes, push for the playoffs because there’s no guarantee in tanking. Let’s turn this tank around and point it towards the postseason. Let’s crush every obstacle on our way there.

There is a formula to winning in the NHL. The good teams that exist now, were horrible for a few (or several) years and they got their stars today by having those crucial top-5 draft picks or getting extremely lucky with trades. Teams that hang on to squeaking into the playoffs and getting knocked out in the first round just for experience, home game revenue or whatever else justification they come up with – are not built for long-term success. This Red Wings team is not built to last and fans should look at what the team is going to look like in a couple years – not what it looks like now.

Holland should sell off as many assets as he can right now. What is the point in having a 31-year old and declining Gustav Nyqvist (if he re-signs) taking up a roster spot from an eager 21-year old that needs the experience to grow and reach his potential. In this hypothetical scenario a few years down the line, the Red Wings should still be thinking rebuild and to get younger.

If the Red Wings sell like they should, there is potential for them to drop and get that top-5 pick. Like Cameron has already stated, this team is well within reach of the bottom. Edmonton, Montreal and Philadelphia are all under-performing offensively to a massive degree. All three teams are within the top-6 in the NHL in xGF according to Corsica. That should even out and they have potential to leap over Detroit in the standings. That leaves the Red Wings in the bottom-5 in the NHL and gives them an honest-to-god good chance at getting that crucial top-3 pick.

There is no reason to try and make the playoffs when they will surely get knocked out in the first round. Management needs to think what is best for this franchise long-term. For right now, keep Anthony Mantha and Dylan Larkin – burn the rest of the team to the ground.

Who do you agree with? Let us know in the comments if you think Detroit should push for the playoffs or not!