The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan asked Red Wings coach Todd McLellan to weigh in on Lucas Raymond’s talents now that the coach sees #23 on a nightly basis, and here’s what McLellan said:
“From afar we hear about this Raymond kid and see him in the highlights, but do we focus on his development and what he’s done real well to improve and all that stuff? Not really,” McLellan said. “Now that I’m here, you see the tenacity he plays with. He’s got an abrasiveness to him that I wasn’t aware of. He’s got all the skills.”
At that point, McLellan reached back to his past life as an assistant coach with the Wings from 2005-08 and came up with a player that Raymond has similarities with. Now, McLellan was quick to point out Raymond isn’t that player, but simply has similar characteristics.
Yes, Henrik Zetterberg, a Wings’ legend from back in that era and possible Hall of Famer some day.
“For me, he’s got some of, and I’m going to use his name and he’s not that player, but he has a little bit of Zetterberg in him,” McLellan said. “That determination and little bit of abrasiveness, the fire kind of. So, throw in all the other skills and that’s what I see in Lucas.”
