We’ve reached the point where the Detroit Red Wings might need to consider a coaching change.
Detroit’s effort and structure have been inconsistent. Their five-on-five offense leaves much to be desired. The same goes for the penalty kill. And there have been too many unforced errors in all three zones.
In fact, the only constant so far this season has been Detroit’s overall output being at or below the sum of their collective parts. High-quality coaches elevate teams to consistently perform above the sum of their individual parts.
Simply put, the Red Wings have been a disjointed team so far in 2024-25.
“We need to figure out what we are as a team and start to gain some traction and play to an identity,” opined Dylan Larkin after Detroit’s 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets (from ‘Ten Red Wings thoughts after 10 games: Can Detroit’s early issues be fixed?’ – The Athletic – 10/31/24).
A week and a half later, not much has changed.
All of this to say, the Red Wings might need a new voice in the room. Here are my thoughts on what they need in a coach and a few options to consider.
Red Wings’ Coaching Search: Traits & Candidates
At this point in time, the Red Wings need a motivator behind the bench. Derek Lalonde and Jeff Blashill fit more of the strategist mold – not the fiery leader-type.
This isn’t to say Detroit needs another John Tortorella. No, not to that degree – he’s an extreme example. Some of that fire would be good, though.
If the Red Wings decide to make a coaching change, the new coach needs to meet these criteria:
- Ability to create buy-in around an identity, structure, and discipline
- Experience pushing the right buttons to get players to go above and beyond
- Flexibility with personnel
With this type of coach, the assistants (whoever is retained) would be the tacticians/strategists. The head coach would decide the identity and structure, and push the players and assistant coaches to deliver.
So which coaching candidates should be considered? Here are four options that come to mind.
Todd McLellan – My top choice. McLellan checks all the boxes – he’s a motivator, creates buy-in with structure, can adapt to personnel, and has loads of experience. In fact, he has coached most of Detroit’s front office. McLellan has also shown the ability to implement a sound defensive strategy and deploy various offensive approaches based on team composition. He could also bring in long-time assistant Jay Woodcroft—THW colleague Devin Little’s favorite option if a move was to be made—to help boost the underperforming offense.
Gerard Gallant – Obviously, Gallant is close with Steve Yzerman. We all know that. The Jack Adams Award winner gets results, though. We’ve seen him take the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year of existence and elevate the play of the New York Rangers. He creates buy-in, establishes structure, and can motivate his players to exceed expectations. Gallant’s knock is his inflexibility with personnel and preference for deploying veterans over young players.
Dan Watson – After successful stints in Toledo and Grand Rapids, could Watson move up the ladder to Detroit? He has proven to be an excellent developer, and has the Griffins off to a hot start in 2024-25. Grand Rapids also has an experienced head coach in Steph Julien on Watson’s staff who could take over if the latter is promoted. That said, Watson has zero NHL coaching experience. There’s risk in giving a coach his first NHL gig at this point in the franchise’s trajectory.
Joel Quenneville – He wouldn’t be my choice, but the three-time Stanley Cup winner checks all the boxes. His involvement with the Brad Aldrich/Kyle Beach scandal cannot be ignored, though. But the NHL cleared him to return, and that may be enough for some teams – including the Red Wings. Stan Bowman got another job, after all.
Final Word
Make no mistake, I sincerely hope that things turn around and Derek Lalonde remains coach of the Red Wings, and the subpar start to the season can be chalked up to the flu bug going around and the difficult schedule that we all saw coming.
However, these early signs aren’t encouraging. A new voice in the room might be the remedy here.
Related: Red Wings Notebook: 12 Thoughts on Seider & Edvinsson, Trade Market & More
Don’t forget, the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues had a similar situation. The team underperformed with strategist coach Mike Yeo at the helm, falling to last place at one point. Management made a change and installed a motivator coach in Craig Berube. Under his watch, the Blues got back on track, surged in the standings, and ultimately won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
This isn’t to say a change will lead the Red Wings to another Stanley Cup. Rather, a change of this nature could help this Red Wings team reach their potential. They certainly aren’t playing up to it now.
And, for what it’s worth, the Red Wings will be on a west coast road trip this weekend. McLellan’s last coaching stop was with the Los Angeles Kings – one of the teams that will play host to the Red Wings. If McLellan is still in town, it would be a good idea to have a chat with him.
