The Athletic’s Max Bultman asks “burning questions” regarding the Detroit Red Wings a month out from training camp, and this question is of most urgency to me:
What does a full season with McLellan mean?
This one will be the hardest to quantify, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real. The Red Wings looked markedly better after hiring Todd McLellan at Christmas, reviving their season in the second half. One of those aforementioned March slumps ultimately derailed any playoff hopes, but even with that lumped in, Detroit played to a 95-point pace under McLellan. That would have been enough to make the playoffs over a full season.
Of course, there won’t be any new coach bump this time around. But in its place will be other advantages, like a full training camp to install McLellan’s preferred systems and structures. And after how the second half went, the buy-in from players should remain strong.
Ultimately, the players’ effort and engagement level is probably more important than the particulars of which schematic McLellan and his staff decide on. And McLellan certainly got that out of the roster in his 48 games last season. Now the key will be to maintain the same blend of energy and instinct that fueled last season while also mixing in any new structures. That’s easier said than done, but it could go a long way toward determining the season’s trajectory.
Continued (paywall); while concerns about who plays with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, the goaltending under John Gibson, the improvement of the Wings’ young players and the potential impact of rookies are all interesting discussions, I feel that the coaching staff’s performance may be the greatest determinant of success or failure this upcoming season.
Coach Todd McLellan and his revamped staff have to set the tone for team consistency starting on the first morning of training camp, and avoiding customary swoons in December, March and April will be essential for the team’s playoff relevancy.
McLellan, assistant coaches Trent Yawney and Alex Tanguay, and video coordinators Jeff Weintraub and Erich Junge have a hard job ahead of them, and marginal personnel improvements to work with. It’s going to be essential that the coaches get the most out of their players regardless of their “name value” for the team to take a step forward.
