There’s no doubt the Red Wings are in an interesting portion of their life cycle. They’re just good enough to maybe push for a playoff spot this season, if all goes well. Yet if all goes well, making the playoffs might be just about the worst thing that could happen long-term for the franchise.



The reason is two-fold. A playoff appearance would just be delaying the inevitable. The roster needs an infusion of high-end talent. A playoff push this year would not only hurt the Red Wings in the upcoming draft, it would likely prevent players from getting traded at the trade deadline for more draft picks. It’s a double-whammy.



In projecting the Red Wings roster three years out to the 2020-21 season, the necessity for high-end stars becomes even more apparent because what’s left of the powerhouse Red Wings, most notably Henrik Zetterberg, will be gone.



What’s left?



We dive in to examine what the roster might look like at the...