MLive’s Ansar Khan took note of the remarks made by coach Derek Lalonde and captain Dylan Larkin on the first day of the Red Wings’ 2023 training camp:
The Detroit Red Wings overhauled more than one-third of their roster, resulting in a deeper team with high hopes. The optimism translated to energy Thursday when this new-look group took the ice for the first day of training camp in Traverse City.
“Players are no different than coaches and fans, you add some pieces, it gets guys excited,” Derek Lalonde, entering his second season as coach, said. “I think there’s a little energy going into camp with what we added in the offseason and I think everyone was anxious to get to work today. I think it showed in a pretty up-tempo Day One.”
Alex DeBrincat, the most significant addition, skated with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, though Lalonde said he won’t necessarily play his top three offensive players together in games.
“We’ll see a lot of different combinations,” Lalonde said. “We wanted to give them a day together and they did some very good things, especially on some entries and some rush things. All three play very fast. I don’t think we’re married to any lines at all. … I think we’ll have all kinds of different looks throughout camp and early into the exhibition, especially with the added depth.”
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As Larkin enters his ninth season, his fourth as captain, there is more optimism about this team than at any time since its most recent playoff appearance in 2015-16.
“Going into this season, I know Steve (general manager Yzerman) and Newsie have not really set an expectation,” Larkin said. “The guys in the room, we talked about it last year, we want more. There’s guys coming in that have been on teams that have been locks for the playoffs. There’s veteran players, guys going into contract years. I like the dynamic of everyone’s situation and we’re going to rely on each other to keep pushing and to get off to a great start and remain consistent. I’m excited to see how it unfolds.”
