The 2016–17

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

was the 91st season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. It was the Red Wings' final season at

Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...

before their move to

Little Caesars Arena Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Opening on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, replaced Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

for the 2017–18 season. This season also marked the end of the Red Wings playoff streak at 25 consecutive seasons, and was their first losing season since 1990–91. The longest active streak in Major North American sports now belonged to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

who made the playoffs every year since 1998 until 2020. As of the 2024-25 NHL Season, the Toronto Maple Leafs own the longest active playoff streak in the NHL at 8 seasons apiece.

Off-season

On May 10, 2016, the Red Wings named Doug Houda as an assistant coach. On May 17, 2016, the Red Wings named Jeff Salajko as their new goaltending coach, replacing long-time former coach Jim Bedard. On June 9, 2016, the Red Wings named John Torchetti as an assistant coach. On September 16, 2016, the Red Wings named Shawn Horcoff director of player development.

Standings

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Red Wings. Stats reflect time with the Red Wings only.
^‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Awards and honours

Awards

Milestones

Suspensions/fines

Transactions

Trades

;Notes *Detroit to retain 50% ($1.3 million) of salary as part of trade.

Free agents acquired

Free agents lost

Claimed via waivers

Lost via waivers

Lost via retirement

Player signings

Draft picks

Below are the Detroit Red Wings' selections at the 2016 NHL entry draft, held on June 24–25, 2016 at the

First Niagara Center KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the Nation ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. ;Draft notes * The

' first-round pick went to the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016 that sent Joe Vitale, the Rangers' first-round pick and a compensatory second-round pick both in 2016 (20th and 53rd overall) to Detroit in exchange for

Pavel Datsyuk Pavel Valeryevich Datsyuk (, ; born 20 July 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player, who played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2001 to 2016. Nicknamed the "Magic Man", Datsyuk was named one ...

and this pick. * The

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

' first-round pick went to the

as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016 that sent

and a first-round pick in 2016 (16th overall) to Arizona in exchange for Joe Vitale, a compensatory second-round pick in 2016 (53rd overall) and this pick. :Arizona previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 1, 2015 that sent

Keith Yandle Keith Michael Yandle (born September 9, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He also is co-host of the hit podcast, Spittin Chiclets. Yandle was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fourth round, 105th overall, at the ...

, Chris Summers and a fourth-round pick in 2016 to New York in exchange for John Moore,

Anthony Duclair Anthony Duclair (born August 26, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Duclair was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round, 80th overall, of the 2013 NHL ...

, Tampa Bay's second-round pick in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Arizona will receive a first-round pick in 2016 if New York qualifies for the

2016 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2015–16 season. They began on April 13, 2016, and ended on June 12, 2016, with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the cup by defeating the San ...

– was converted on April 4, 2016. * The

' compensatory second-round pick (53rd overall) went to the

as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016 that sent

and a first-round pick in 2016 (16th overall) to Arizona in exchange for Joe Vitale, the Rangers' first-round pick in 2016 (20th overall) and this pick. :Arizona previously received this pick as compensation for not signing 2014 first-round draft pick Conner Bleackley, whom they acquired in an earlier trade with Colorado. * The

' third-round pick went to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

as the result of a trade on June 25, 2016 that sent

Beau Bennett Beau Daniel Bennett (born November 27, 1991) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. Bennett attended the University of Denver until 2012. He was drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fir ...

to New Jersey in exchange for this pick. :New Jersey previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Marek Zidlicky to Detroit in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in

and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – New Jersey will receive a third-round pick in 2016 if Detroit does not advance to the

2015 Stanley Cup Finals The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) season, and the culmination of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Eastern Conference c ...

– was converted on April 29, 2015 when Detroit was eliminated from the

2015 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2014–15 season. They began on April 15, 2015, and ended on June 15, 2015, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning fou ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2016-17 Detroit Red Wings Season Detroit Red Wings seasons

Detroit Red Detroit Red