It has now been one month since Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. Trent Yawney also replaced Bob Boughner as associate coach. The message under McLellan has been clear, to say the least. “Play f—king hockey.” This message has led to success on the ice, as the Red Wings have a record of 10-4-1 under McLellan. What remains to be seen is whether the Red Wings can make it to the Stanley Cup playoffs with McLellan as head coach.
Despite beating the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout by a score of the Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the 2023-24 season when the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime. The Red Wings finished the season with 97 points. The finish of the 2023-24 season raised the expectations of the Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman, to be specific. With the firing of Lalonde Yzerman has now overseen three different coaches in his time as general manager.
Lalonde was brought on as Red Wings head coach after spending time with Yzerman with the Tampa Bay Lightning. After nearly two and a half seasons as head coach of the Red Wings, he had a record of 89-86-23. This was the first experience that Lalonde had as a head coach in the NHL. The number of coaches the Red Wings have had calls into question Yzerman’s job security. The “Yzerplan” has now been in effect for five seasons. In that time Yzerman has done whatever it takes to revamp the team’s roster.
“(It) felt like something needed to happen,” captain of the Red Wings Dylan Larkin said after Lalonde was fired. Larkin recently scored a goal and added an assist in his 700th career game played for the Red Wings. As a Waterford, Michigan native, Larkin grew up a Red Wings fan and after being drafted by the team with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft. Larkin has scored 21 goals and added 24 assists in 49 games played during the 2024-25 season.
I recently wrote that the “new coach bump” had left the Red Wings play. The Red Wings won six of the first seven games under McLellan. With a record of 23-21-5, the Red Wings currently sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with 51 points. One of the main reasons for this is that the Red Wings have struggled to score consistently. During a recent four-game road trip, the Red Wings only managed to score eight goals. The Red Wings have scored the 21st most goals in the NHL this season with 137 goals.
The Red Wings have won 10 of the 15 games that McLellan has coached, 70% of the points available to them. If they were to continue to win at this pace for the rest of the season, they would have 97 points. Keep in mind that 92 points would have gotten the Red Wings into the playoffs last season. According to the website Tankathon, the Red Wings have the most difficult schedule remaining in the NHL based on strength of schedule.
ITR 30: Down The Stretch – Inside The Rink
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