It has been a few days since we last looked at the standings, so let’s take a look again and see where Detroit sits.

So after a rough last week or two, the Wings find themselves in eight place with a two point margin on Dallas and Columbus (with a game in hand on the Jackets).  Not the best, but again, this could be much worse.

Why?  Because this means the Wings hold their own destiny in their hands.  SportsClubStats has the odds that Detroit makes the playoffs at 61.7%.  But this is deceiving. Detroit doesn’t have to worry about any other team’s results these last nine games.  If they win, they are in.  They lose, they aren’t.  Simple.

Hit the jump for more: 

Well doesn't this just brighten your day: 

Mike Bancock said Darren Helm won't play hockey again this season. #RedWings

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) April 9, 2013

Pretty much means that making the playoffs are the only goal now.  

Red Wings got what they deserved tonight after putting forth very little effort. Final score was 4-2, Coyotes. Detroit simply MUST get points anywhere and everywhere they can from here on out if they expect to make the playoffs.

Recap after the jump:

Everyone's pretty busy this evening.  So, I took it upon myself to do a little poster welcoming Danny Dekeyser to Detroit.  Hit the jump to see tonight's Game Day Movie Poster.

(Kent Huskins doens't count.)  

Credit to Doyoufeelmorehuman on Reddit. 

By now you're well aware that the Detroit Red Wings have signed former Western Michigan University defenseman Danny DeKeyser. What you may not know is just how sought-after he was. GMs from around the league tried their best to convince DeKeyser that their team would be the best fit. Since DeKeyser is so young, traditional means of recruitment were tossed out the window as the GMs turned to social media to win his favor.

The trade deadline is minutes away and it appears the Wings may be doing nothing, so we'll leave you with this.

After the jump, how the Wings got DeKeyser:

Remember that this day used to be like Christmas morning?  Oh.  What's under the tree this April?  Is that a Chelios down there?  Oh thank you hockey gods!

These days though, a little more boring.  Maybe a Quincey, but only if you're lucky.  And this year, don't expect anything from Kenny.  From the Free Press: 

“Every year, there’s the odd big deal, but teams really make their moves at the June draft,” Holland said. "And then there’s some rentals."

“History tells you there’s going to be 20 to 30 trades, but there’s going to be lots of deals made for depth. I’ve had some conversations with some teams about the odd depth player. I don’t really have any interest."

Boooorrring. 

Hit the jump for more on the deadline: 

50% of the time, flippys (flippies?) work every time.  That’s the joke I had with a defenseman of mine in college.   He was awesome at flipping the puck out of the zone.  Except when he wasn’t.  So I knew when he went back to the corner, get ready, because the puck is either going to end up waaayyy out of the zone, or right on the stick of an opponent resulting in a 2-0 for the other guys. 

Of course, my buddy wasn’t in the NHL like Brendan Smith is.   Smith should know better.

I had great hopes for Smith this year.  To me, he was going to be a lock for the Calder. Lidstrom replacement – or as close as one could get to being one.  But unfortunately, he’s been a rookie in every respect. Some bright spots, but mostly a whole bunch of mistakes and stupid plays. 

And things aren’t going well for him lately.   He’s finished -1 in each of the past four games and has a whopping 4 points on the year, all of which are assists.   Yesterday he was on the ice for two goals again.   Yeah, one he was being sat on in the crease, but still – you know who was never sat on in the crease?  Nick Lidstrom.  And, of course, the critical flippy that almost cost the Wings the game.  Whether it be by strength or smarts, he’s been outclassed the last few games and likely just needs a rest and a regroup session to calm down and play like the star we know he can be. 

Hit the jump for what I think we should do with Smith: 

You never want the 3-0 goal to be the GWG, but that's what happened to the Wings tonight. Still, good to be on the winning side of a clusterfrack than on the losing end. Tonight's recap will be a mixed bag of praise for some and scorn for others.

More after the jump:

Unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected news out of Detroit today. Todd Bertuzzi is going to hang up the blades despite earlier reports that he was getting closer to returning. In a way this isn’t terrible because guys like Nyquist and Tatar will be further up on the depth chart, but as a fan of Bert, this sucks.

More after the jump: