Red Wings Soaring Under New Coach McLellan
Detroit’s resurgence under head coach Todd McLellan continues to impress. in the month as McLellan took the reins, the Red Wings have compiled an remarkable 11-4-1 record, currently riding a three-game win streak. This surge is more than just a temporary boost, it’s a clear sign of notable improvement.
Five Keys to the Red Wings’ Success
Several key changes have contributed to the Red Wings’ remarkable turnaround. Here’s a look at five of the most impactful:
1. Marco Kasper’s Top Line Breakout
One of the most notable developments is the emergence of Marco Kasper on the Red Wings’ top line. Initially, McLellan opted to reduce Kasper’s ice time. However, three weeks ago, he decided to experiment, placing Kasper on the wing alongside the team’s offensive stars, dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
The move proved to be a masterstroke. Kasper’s strong puck presence and work ethic complement Larkin and Raymond, while benefiting from their offensive prowess. Over his last 10 games, Kasper has tallied seven goals and 11 points, leading the team wiht a 54% five-on-five expected goals share.
“He’s playing against the top players on a nightly basis,” McLellan said. “Whether we’re on the road or at home, teams are matching against Larks’ line, so it forces him to have a really sharp game night after night.”
While the line has generated exceptional offensive chances, they have also allowed some high-quality scoring opportunities. Continued defensive refinement will be crucial as the season progresses.
2. continued Offensive Production
The Red Wings’ offensive engine is firing on all cylinders. The team has consistently generated scoring opportunities and capitalized on them efficiently. A balanced attack, featuring contributions from multiple lines, has made detroit increasingly tough to defend.
3. Improved Defensive Structure
McLellan’s emphasis on defensive responsibility has paid dividends. The Red Wings’ overall team defense has tightened, limiting opponents’ scoring chances and making it harder for them to establish offensive rhythm.
4. Increased goaltending Reliability
Steady goaltending has been a cornerstone of the Red Wings’ success. Their goalies have provided consistent performances, making key saves and keeping the team in games.
5.Team Morale and Chemistry
A renewed sense of belief and camaraderie is evident in the locker room. McLellan has fostered a positive and supportive environment, which has translated into improved on-ice performance.
Red Wings’ Success Fueled by Raymond’s Rise and Lineup Shifts
The Detroit Red Wings’ impressive start to the season is being fueled by several factors, including the emergence of Lucas Raymond as a true game-changer and a strategic lineup shift that benefits the entire team.
Raymond’s Offensive Explosion
Raymond, who showed significant improvement last season, has taken another major leap forward, establishing himself as a dominant offensive force. He has amassed an impressive 33 points in Detroit’s first 34 games. Over the past month, his production has been even more staggering, racking up 23 points in just 16 games - a total tied with NHL superstars Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov for second-most in the league during that span.
While coaching adjustments might be playing a role, Raymond’s development appears to be the primary driver of this surge. “I think that he can take games over by himself,” teammate Moritz Seider observed. “Him and Dylan ( Larkin) are the motors of our upfront lineup right now, and they’re driving, and obviously that makes it really hard for the other team to defend them.”
raymond’s impact extends beyond just scoring. his consistent playmaking, strong work ethic in all three zones, and willingness to battle in the corners make him a complete player, drawing comparisons to Detroit legend Henrik Zetterberg from coach Derek Lalonde.
Lineup Flexibility Fuels Depth
The Red wings have also benefited from a strategic lineup shift, moving forward Filip zadina to the wing.
This decision allows Zadina to showcase his offensive talents while freeing up space for Andrew Copp to play top-six minutes and for Alex DeBrincat to contribute his finishing prowess on the second line. The move has created a balanced and productive offensive attack throughout the lineup.
. He values each of the three as importantly as the stat sheet, if you will. … I don’t want to say it’s hard to find players like that,but when you do,you treasure them.”
Beyond Raymond’s obvious skill and creativity, the key to that comparison is his competitiveness and his hockey sense. He’s not a big body, but he shows no fear on the forecheck, anticipates at a high level, and often forces turnovers and keeps possessions alive as a result. Add in the processing, the vision, and Raymond’s poise in big moments — at least, in the limited sample we have — and it’s not hard to see what McLellan is getting at in likening him to Zetterberg.
“I think they’re both winners,” McLellan said. “The difference is that Hank, right now, has the jewelry to prove it, and it takes a team to do that. So I would say a winner with Hank, but I think you could win with Raymond for sure: competitive, two-way, high hockey IQ. leader. I can go on and on.”
3. A more balanced ‘D’ corps
One of Detroit’s clear issues at the time of the coaching change — and one that, frankly, I didn’t think could be solved just internally — was how reliant Detroit was on its top defense pair of Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
the two were playing huge minutes, taking the toughest matchups, and doing it well — which is obviously a positive.But the problem was, Detroit wasn’t getting enough from its next two pairings.
It left a tough decision: Do you keep them together and hope the veterans down the lineup figure it out? Or try to balance things differently, even if it means splitting up the one pair getting the best results in the toughest minutes?
McLellan pretty quickly decided on the latter, and the results have been clear. Albert Johansson has held his own next to Edvinsson after being in and out of the lineup most of the season (including being healthy scratched for McLellan’s first four games) and is giving Detroit good second-pair minutes. Meanwhile, Seider and Ben Chiarot are tackling their minutes better than the pair had in the past.
It’s still not a perfect blue line, and Detroit still ranks in the bottom 10 of expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five under McLellan — though the forwards certainly bear that responsibility too. But the more balanced look is serving the Red Wings well.
4. A higher-volume shooting approach
McLellan hasn’t really overhauled detroit’s systems, aside from the penalty kill, but the most notable difference in their play night-to-night — other than a higher tempo and energy level — has to be how much more the Red Wings are shooting.
Through christmas, Detroit ranked 31st in the NHL with 51.53 shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five. As McLellan was hired on Dec. 26 that number is up to 56.66 — more than five shots per 60 minutes. That’s still only 24th in the league in that span, but it’s a marked improvement.
There’s a good debate to be had about shot quantity versus quality, and there’s no one correct answer. But this approach seems to be working for the Red Wings,who in the process of adding all those shots have upped their five-on-five expected goals per 60 from 2.08 to 2.32 under McLellan. And part of that is getting more traffic to the net along with the puck — whether that means cleaning up rebounds or screening the goalie to take away his eyes.
“Obviously you want to have chaos in front of the net,” seider said. “You just don’t want to pump the goalie just as. And I think lately we’ve been doing a better job. Even though we lost in Tampa, we still had (39) shots but we just didn’t get in front of his eyes. And obviously then you make it pretty easy on a real good goaltender. As of late, I think we’re doing a way better job of that.”
5. The energy
This is the point that underpins everything else, and there’s no real way to quantify it, but it’s been clear both watching and interacting with the Red Wings that there’s a renewed energy over the last month.
At first, it was easy to chalk that up to just having a new coach around — and even now, a good chunk of it can likely be attributed to winning and the good feelings that come with that. But even when detroit came back from a tough 1-2-1 road trip, that energy was present. You can see it in their game pace, and in practices.
It’s going to be a tall task to keep that energy level up for another 32 games — especially with so manny of those (19) on the road. But if the Red Wings can do that,they may just make the stretch run interesting once again.
(Photo: Tim Fuller / Imagn Images)
Five Ways Derek Lalonde Has Revitalized the Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings entered this season wiht high hopes, but after a disappointing first third of the schedule, a coaching change was made. Enter Derek lalonde, a former assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who has brought a new energy and approach to the team. It’s early, but the results are starting to show.
here are five key ways Lalonde has revitalized the Red Wings:
1.Unleashing Lucas Raymond
The biggest beneficiary of Lalonde’s arrival might potentially be sophomore forward Lucas Raymond. Lalonde has moved Raymond to the second line, allowing him to showcase his skills against less challenging competition while still playing significant minutes. Raymond has responded with increased production and confidence, looking every bit the dynamic offensive threat many predicted he would be.
Lalonde has even drawn comparisons between Raymond and former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg.
>“I think they’re both winners,” McLellan said. “The difference is that Hank, right now, has the jewelry to prove it, and it takes a team to do that. So I would say a winner with Hank, but I think you could win with Raymond for sure: competitive, two-way, high hockey IQ. leader. I can go on and on.”
2. Power-Play Surge
Detroit’s power play has been anemic for years, but under Lalonde, it’s showing signs of life. The Red Wings have moved from the bottom third of the NHL in power-play percentage to a respectable middle-of-the-pack ranking. While the numbers are not extraordinary yet, the unit looks more perilous and structured, suggesting further betterment is possible.
Lalonde’s power-play strategy emphasizes puck movement, finding soft spots in the defense, and creating high-danger scoring chances. It’s a system that plays to the strengths of the Red Wings’ skilled forwards.
3. A More Balanced ‘D’ Corps
One of Detroit’s clear issues at the time of the coaching change — and one that, frankly, I didn’t think could be solved just internally — was how reliant Detroit was on its top defense pair of Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
the two were playing huge minutes, taking the toughest matchups, and doing it well — which is obviously a positive. But the problem was, Detroit wasn’t getting enough from its next two pairings.
It left a tough decision: Do you keep them together and hope the veterans down the lineup figure it out? Or try to balance things differently, even if it means splitting up the one pair getting the best results in the toughest minutes?
McLellan pretty quickly decided on the latter, and the results have been clear. Albert Johansson has held his own next to Edvinsson after being in and out of the lineup most of the season (including being healthy scratched for McLellan’s first four games) and is giving Detroit good second-pair minutes. Meanwhile, Seider and Ben Chiarot are tackling their minutes better than the pair had in the past.
It’s still not a perfect blue line, and Detroit still ranks in the bottom 10 of expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five under McLellan — though the forwards certainly bear that responsibility too.But the more balanced look is serving the Red Wings well.
4. A higher-Volume Shooting approach
McLellan hasn’t really overhauled Detroit’s systems, aside from the penalty kill, but the most notable difference in their play night-to-night — othre than a higher tempo and energy level — has to be how much more the Red Wings are shooting.
Through Christmas, Detroit ranked 31st in the NHL with 51.53 shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five. As McLellan was hired on Dec. 26 that number is up to 56.66 — more than five shots per 60 minutes. That’s still only 24th in the league in that span, but it’s a marked improvement.
There’s a good debate to be had about shot quantity versus quality, and there’s no one correct answer. But this approach seems to be working for the Red Wings, who in the process of adding all those shots have upped their five-on-five expected goals per 60 from 2.08 to 2.32 under McLellan. And part of that is getting more traffic to the net along with the puck — whether that means cleaning up rebounds or screening the goalie to take away his eyes.
“Obviously you want to have chaos in front of the net,” seider said. “You just don’t want to pump the goalie just as. And I think lately we’ve been doing a better job. Even though we lost in tampa, we still had (39) shots but we just didn’t get in front of his eyes. And obviously then you make it pretty easy on a real good goaltender. As of late, I think we’re doing a way better job of that.”
5. The Energy
This is the point that underpins everything else, and there’s no real way to quantify it, but it’s been clear both watching and interacting with the Red Wings that there’s a renewed energy over the last month.
At first, it was easy to chalk that up to just having a new coach around — and even now, a good chunk of it can likely be attributed to winning and the good feelings that come with that. but even when Detroit came back from a tough 1-2-1 road trip, that energy was present. You can see it in their game pace, and in practices.
It’s going to be a tall task to keep that energy level up for another 32 games — especially with so many of those (19) on the road. But if the Red Wings can do that, they may just make the stretch run interesting once again.
(Photo: Tim Fuller / Imagn Images)
Q&A: Understanding the Lalonde Affect
Q: What’s the biggest impact lalonde has had on the Red Wings?
A: The most significant impact is the newfound energy and urgency the team plays with. Lalonde has instilled a faster pace and a more aggressive offense, making the Red Wings a much more exciting team to watch.
Q: How has Lalonde’s coaching style differed from his predecessor’s?
A: Lalonde emphasizes puck movement, offensive creativity, and a higher-volume shooting approach. He’s also shown a willingness to experiment with different line combinations, which has unlocked the potential of players like Lucas Raymond.
Q: Can the Red Wings realistically make the playoffs this season?
A: While it’s still a long shot, the Red Wings have shown signs of being a competitive team under Lalonde. If they can maintain their current level of play and get some timely contributions from their young stars, a playoff push might be within reach.
Lalonde’s arrival has injected a much-needed spark into the Red Wings. Only time will tell if it translates into sustained success, but the team is undoubtedly heading in the right direction.
