Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde attended the Detroit Red Wings’ “Street Hockey in the D” event this morning, and the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton asked coach Lalonde about the Red Wings’ need to re-sign Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider before training camp begins…
When asked whether he could provide an update on the situation, Lalonde said, “Not a whole lot…This is exactly why we have the GM layer, the agent layer…I’ve talked to them two, three times throughout the summer, and we don’t even talk about the contract. That’s between Steve and them, Steve and the agent. With us, it’s just the same message for all the guys: We wanna progress, we wanna keep building this, we want a little bit more from last year. Obviously those two guys are a big part of it.”
While not quite the revelation Red Wings fans were likely hoping for, it was nonetheless another reassurance that Detroit is in no serious jeopardy of losing Raymond or Seider’s services this summer. While many fans are no doubt eager to see that set in stone (or ink, as the case may be), Lalonde himself said, “I’m not worried. It’s all part of it. I have a little experience with this with past RFAs, so it’s all part of the process” in response to being asked directly over whether their contract status was causing him any stress.
Lalonde went on to note that not only is he fully counting on Raymond and Seider for next season but also he expects their roles to continue to grow, specifically by becoming a greater part of Detroit’s leadership team.
“I think those two and the role they’ll play on our team, I think it’ll be a little increased with our leadership too,” Lalonde said. “It’s something we talked about with those two. [I’m] very comfortable with where the situation is exactly. I sound like a broken record, but this is why coaches coach, managers manage, it’s why players have agents—to avoid the layer of what’s going on with the contract.” With David Perron (who wore an “A” as alternate captain) off to Ottawa, perhaps one or both of Raymond and Seider could wind up wearing a letter in 2024-25.
And coach Lalonde emphasized improving the team’s defensive numbers while speaking with Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:
“I think the numbers speak for themselves,” Lalonde said. “We were a top 10 team in goals-for, but we were a bottom-10 team in goals-against. So we’d love to improvement that goes-against.”
Lalonde made his remarks when he was attending the Street Hockey in the D: Summer Series. More than 300 participants across Detroit take part in the clinics.
The third-year Detroit coach said he like the moves GM Steve Yzerman made last month, including re-signing Patrick Kane, veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko and goalie Cam Talbot.
“I think we did a good job of addressing some holes,” Lalonde said. “It feels like guys are maybe slotted going into the year a little bit. I think we did a good job addressing some lost offense, which is very important. It’s just exciting. All I’ve known here since I’ve come here is some progression. We’ve moved in the right direction from Year One into Year Two. We did it going into the second year. Now we need to keep building.”
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There’s undoubtedly more pressure on Lalonde and his coaches and the players to improve their defensive play.
“Expectations will change, which is good,” Lalonde said. “It’s all part of the process. Expectations change because we flirted with getting there. 91 points. We just want a little bit more front everyone. It’s going to be all about a good start.”
