EliteProspects’ Sean Shapiro suggests that the Red Wings’ hiring of Todd McLellan as the team’s head coach may not be able to truly solve the team’s underlying problems:
While the Red Wings didn’t announce how long [McLellan’s] multi-year deal was, it’s probably something that came up for McLellan in his contract negotiation — he’s gonna need more than one and half seasons to figure this out, and has to hope his GM has learned from past mistakes.
In the short term, McLellan has to find a way for the team’s foundation not to wobble when one important player is unavailable. In the long-term, he has to completely re-code the Red Wings culture to one that picks itself up, which I’m not sure is possible under the current regime.
Think about it this way. When it comes to Yzerman and the Red Wings, everything is still associated with the No. 19 hanging in the rafters, not the body of work he’s done as an executive in Detroit.
Whether you liked Jake Walman or not, and I personally did, one of the main reasons his puzzling trade to the San Jose Sharks was defended by some was because Yzerman made it and there must be a greater plan in place.
By the middle of the 2024-25 season the Red Wings defense is struggling to move the puck and Walman is 12th in the league in points by defenders. Shayne Gostisbehere was also allowed to walk in favor of Erik Gustafsson, Gostisbehere (now in Carolina) is one of the few defenders producing at even a higher level offensively than Walman.
Continued (paywall)
