MLive’s Ansar Khan affords Red Wings coach Todd McLellan the column space to explain why the team has brought back daily training camp scrimmages after a 9-year absence, even though the players can accumulate wear and tear over the course of the 3 days’ worth of high-intensity intra-squad battles:
“We always kind of wanted to get to it right in camp,” he said. “Maybe I’m selfish, but I’m thinking if I got to go in and play Chicago on Tuesday and I haven’t scrimmaged or been involved in any type of ful- ice, five-on-five action where there’s some actual contact and some competitiveness. I don’t think I’’m ready to play that game. And we’re also evaluating them and how they can play. Everybody here will get at least one scrimmage as long as health allows. Exhibition game No. 1, now they played against real competitive players. They should be ready to go.”
Line combinations are fluid, McLellan said. Elmer Soderblom skated on the wing on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on Day One.
“I mentioned to Elmer today if I’m coming to camp and the coach dropped me in there, I’m not giving that spot back one bit,” McLellan said. “So, we’ll give him a chance, and we’ll work different people through there.”
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McLellan stressed three things he’s looking for at camp.
“Individuals have to find their game quickly,” he said. “So individually, you have to feel good. You have to find your legs and your pace and your tempo and your skillset. And then secondly, they have to find that in a group environment. So, we’re also working on our systems and our structure. And I told them yesterday they’re as fit as they’re going to be all year, they’re as healthy as they’re going to be all year. But they’re as bad as they’re going to be all year with game situations, game management, remembering how we do certain things because they’ve been playing summer, and you hear us talk about summer habits, turning away from the puck, not stopping on loose stuff, trying stuff that really doesn’t exist in our game. And there’s nothing wrong with that in the summer, but it doesn’t work now. And then the team has to come together. Nobody knows, including Steve (general manager Yzerman) and I, who’s going to be on the opening roster. That’s why we have camp.”
Continued (paywall)
