In case you’ve been living under a rock since Christmas, you are likely aware that the Detroit Red Wings made a midseason coaching change for the first time in over 40 years on Thursday. Out went head coach Derek Lalonde and assistant coach Bob Boughner and in came head coach Todd McLellan and assistant coach Trent Yawney. After a frustrating stretch where the Red Wings lacked identity, drive, and failed to execute on a nightly basis, a change seemed inevitable as Detroit entered the holiday on a three-game losing streak.
McLellan is likely familiar to longtime fans. He was an assistant coach during the franchise’s last championship run back in 2008. He has been a bench boss in the NHL since the 2008-09 season, including stints with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. Overall, he has coached over 1,200 NHL games (regular season and playoffs) and is two regular season wins shy of 600 for his career. He is a veteran coach that has been there and done almost everything there is for a coach to do in the NHL.
With a résumé like that, McLellan will demand results. After general manager (GM) Steve Yzerman made it clear that he expects more from this season’s team, the onus is now on the players to turn things around before this season slips away.
Red Wings Underperforming, or Bereft of Talent?
The first couple months of this season are in the books, and the early returns suggest that the Red Wings simply are not set up to compete with the best the NHL has to offer. They have good players, no question, but the overall sum of their parts is not conducive to winning on a consistent basis.
Related: Red Wings Finally Make Bold Move: Lalonde Out, McLellan In as Detroit Seeks Fresh Start
Consider that the Red Wings’ blue line, a clear weakness in Yzerman’s first year as GM, is still a liability. The top pair, headlined by Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson, is the highlight of the group and proof that Yzerman and his amateur scouting team can find and develop first round talent. Outside of that pair is a hodgepodge group that includes longtime veterans (Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry), bottom-pair defenders (Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl), and a 23-year-old who is still getting his feet wet in the NHL (Albert Johansson).
There are a handful of intriguing defensive prospects on the way, headlined by Axel Sandin Pelikka, but that does little to solve today’s problems or even provide comfort that those problems will be fixed eventually. When their goaltenders are constantly under siege because the defense can’t get the puck out, it’s hard to think about reinforcements that may be coming in a year (or two or three).
The Red Wings’ forward group isn’t much better. While their usual top line on Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat typically produce good results, the team has struggled to find consistency throughout the rest of the lineup. Even after adding Vladimir Tarasenko, Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper, as well as bringing Patrick Kane back, the team struggles to sustain pressure in the offensive zone, and constant lineup changes prevent certain lines from developing chemistry. Again, there are several prospects in the system that should help turn things around in time, but that does nothing to create goals this season.
Goaltending is the least of the Red Wings’ worries right now, but it should be noted that their success this season seems to rest squarely on the shoulders of a 37-year-old who has already missed some time this season with a pair of small injuries. Even with Sebastian Cossa waiting in the wings, Detroit does not have the type of goaltending that can overcome a lack of talent everywhere else on the roster.
Based on Yzerman’s comments Friday morning, he believes this Red Wings roster has enough talent to compete on a nightly basis. It is now McLellan’s job to get this team to that level, regardless of the roster’s obvious deficiencies.
Yzerman Sets the Standard
During his meeting with the media, Yzerman laughed when he thought a reporter was asking if the Red Wings are good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup. This was a subtle admission that he doesn’t expect his team to win on a nightly basis, but he did make it clear that he expects the team to compete every single night and be in the mix for a playoff spot.
Yzerman and the Red Wings brought McLellan in on a multi-year contract, meaning that this move was as much about setting the table for next season as it was about righting the ship this season. Yzerman also mentioned “expediting” the rebuilding process on several occasions, which suggests that the rumors about him being active in the trade market are true. It appears the first step was admitting the coaching staff wasn’t getting it done; now the next step is reshaping the roster in a way that will allow McLellan to be successful in his new role.
The Red Wings are now on notice. Veterans Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko are on pace for the worst seasons of their respective careers. Former free agent additions such as Chiarot, Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher aren’t living up to their paychecks. Lalonde might have been the fall guy this time, but it is clear that Yzerman is looking to make changes to the team he has assembled. With rumors swirling about a potential trade with the Buffalo Sabres, how much longer before Yzerman sends another shock through the locker room and pulls the trigger on a deal, especially after the Red Wings’ 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in McLellan’s first game behind the bench.
Regardless of what happens next this season, you can’t pin it on the coaching staff – Yzerman made sure to make that change and get rid of that excuse. McLellan isn’t going anywhere this season, so now it’s up to the team on the ice to prove that they can be more than the sum of their parts.
Their GM believes in them. Their new head coach believes in them. Their fans want to believe in them. There’s nothing left for the Red Wings to do now except go out and reward that belief.
