The Detroit Red Wings split the four-game road trip that was key to their 2024-25 season. The team saw the “new coach bump” that they experienced after Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde fade away. The road trip started with a bang as the Red Wings defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers by a score of 5-2. As the latter half of this road trip has proven, the Red Wings’ roster still has its flaws, though.
“We found a way to scrap our way to a win,” McLellan said. “It wasn’t pretty. We needed some board work, blocked shots and whistles, but it’s a good learning experience for our group. Sometimes, it’s easier to learn when you win than when you lose.” This message has not sunk in yet with the Red Wings, leading McLellan to say “Say you’re at your desk but you’re not working, then you’re useless. It’s one thing being there, it’s the other thing getting the job done.” This is somehow a blunter way of saying “Play f—cking hockey.”
One aspect of the Red Wings play that has improved under McLellan is the power play. Long known as a power play whisperer during his coaching career, McLellan has done wonders with the Red Wings power play in his short time in Detroit. However, the Red Wings’ special teams continue to struggle. Prior to the two-game losing streak, the power play went at a 50% clip. However, something flipped during the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In that game, the Red Wings went 1-for-6 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The three games that the Red Wings lost on this road trip left a lot to be desired when it comes to the team’s defense. This is not a new issue, as the Red Wings have had to rebuild their defensive corps under general manager Steve Yzerman. Yzerman shocked the hockey world by drafting Moritz Seider with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft. Seider, along with Lucas Raymond, signed contract extensions with the Red Wings during the offseason.
Seider was paired with veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot to begin the 2024-25 season. This is despite Seider saying that he and defenseman Simon Edvinsson would be “a pretty cool pair for the Red Wings.” Edvinsson is a 6’6” defenseman who was drafted sixth overall in the 2021 NHL entry draft. I have written in the past that the absence of Edvinsson from the Red Wings’ lineup should not have impacted the team’s defense as much as it did. Seider has averaged nearly 25 minutes on the ice per game this season.
Edvinsson has played in 42 games for the Red Wings during the 2024-25 season. He has certainly played well enough to be named Rookie of the Year. However, he played more than six games in the two preceding seasons to be considered for the award. Seider was the last Red Wing to win the Calder Trophy for the 2021-22 NHL season. Seider has consistently played the highest-leverage minutes on the Red Wings blueline.
The Red Wings have already brought up fellow defenseman Albert Johansson this season. Johansson is a fellow Swede who is among a long line of Red Wings’ Swedish defensemen. The Red Wings team defense, as well as the shooting talent on the team, needs to improve. The recent four-game road trip was proof of both of these points.
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