Somewhere, off in the distance, you could hear the restrains of coach Jim Mora’s years ago reaction to the suggestion that his Indianapolis Colts were a playoff team.\r \r“Playoffs,… Mora bellowed in what has become a YouTube viewing staple. “Don’t talk about playoffs. You kidding me?\r \r“Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game.…

\rDon’t expect a similar reaction from the Detroit Red Wings. Playoff outsiders the past two springs for the first time since the 1980s, owners of the sixth overall pick in this month’s NHL entry draft, some Wings actually are willing to boldly boast that with a few minor tweaks, they believe they can return to postseason play for the 2018-19 season.\r \r“I think we’re really close as a team,… veteran left-winger Justin Abdelkader said. “I think we’re going to have some young players that are getting an opportunity next year to play on the team. I think we’ll have growth from within. \r \r“If our veteran guys can continue to maintain their levels and our young guys - (Dylan) Larkin had a really good tournament over at the world championships, I think it was a good experience for (Nick) Jensen to go over there and play and got his first goal, so that was good to see. But I think growth within the organization, I think young players getting an opportunity to play can help the team.…\r \rTo do so, the Wings will need young players like forwards Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou to continue to consistently take forward strides, and they must find better puck movement from their defense. It would be absolutely foolhardy to believe that young defenders like Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek or Dennis Cholowski are ready to be difference makers along the blueline, and the same would have to be said of whichever defenseman the Wings take with that No. 6 first-round pick.\r \rDetroit will also have to rectify the scenario that saw the team drop 27 one-goal games during the 2017-18 campaign.\r \r“We’ve just got to be better in every little aspect of the game - players, systems,… forward Darren Helm said. “We’ve just got to find a way to be just a little bit better and win games. I think confidence is a big part of the game and if we can win some games earlier, get some confidence going, that could be big for our team.…\r \rHelm seems to forget that the Wings opened 4-1 last season, and that they were 6-2 eight games into the 2016-17 season.\r \rIn point of fact, consistency is the element that the team must change in order to find its way back into the postseason. The team managed just one winning streak of four games last season, but endured losing streaks of 10, seven and six games in length.\r \r“It’s a league that’s just so tight,… Abdelkader said. “It’s just finding ways to win those close games.…\r \rHelm admitted that he’d watch Stanley Cup action on television and that viewing it from his couch had left a bitter taste in his mouth.\r \r“Yeah, it’s frustrating,… Helm said. “I do get down sometimes watching it, knowing that we’ve been in that situation. If we can find ways to be better, then we can be in that situation again. \r \r“It gives you something to work harder for in the summer. We want to be better next year.…\r \rWhether they will be better, well that’s another matter. Everyone in hockey dreams big in the summer.\r \rBut playoffs? You kidding me?\r \rEven at this point, such talk seems absurd.\r \rFollow me on Twitter @asktheduffer\r

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Somewhere, off in the distance, you could hear the restrains of coach Jim Mora’s years ago reaction to the suggestion that his Indianapolis Colts were a playoff team.\n \n“Playoffs,… Mora bellowed in what has become a YouTube viewing staple. “Don’t talk about playoffs. You kidding me?\n \n“Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game.…

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Playoffs? You kidding me?

POST TKACHUK THE RUMOR CHART SHUFFLES

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