Month: October 2025

Coach McLellan asks his players whether they’re tired of the team’s struggles

The Free Press’s Helene St. James peels back the curtain a bit to discuss the Red Wings’ tense Friday practice:

The Detroit Red Wings held an up-tempo practice and had a meeting to recalibrate as they seek to move forward from their opening night dud. That they performed so poorly after three weeks of preparation disappointed across the board, led coach Todd McLellan to seek out select players with a question.

“I actually asked a couple, maybe three or four players, Are we tired of this yet?” McLellan said on Friday, Oct. 10. “And they were longtime Red Wings, they didn’t come from other organizations. Just when is enough enough to play sloppy like that?  I wasn’t blaming those players, I wasn’t saying, Hey, it’s your fault.  But it has to have an impact on those guys, they got to be sitting in there going, OK, enough already. If those four start or five start and make a difference, then the rest will follow.”

McLellan didn’t name the players, but the only ones that fit the parameters are Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.

Larkin and Seider both gave honest assessments of the 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens the previous night, calling the Wings’ performance chaotic and disappointing. The focus now shifts to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who come to Detroit on Saturday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) and host the Wings on Monday.

“We had a meeting today to address some of the mistakes that were made,” Andrew Copp said. “The mistakes we made were  just big mistakes. I think that was the issue and I think that was kind of the issue in the last preseason game as well. So a lot of stuff to clean up but those mistakes should be relatively easy to clean up. It’s game one. It can’t ruin our confidence just because of one game.”

Continued; coach McLellan also added this regarding the Wings’ mistake-prone loss to Montreal:

“It was [fixable], but also, I’ve been through this so many times where you leave and you go, Wow, we really played well and we got it, or you’re driving home and you’re going, I haven’t seen that team in 3½ weeks.” In my mind, it was a carryover from the last exhibition game. So it’s alarming – or, I don’t know if it’s alarming, it’s disappointing. But if we can learn lessons and respond from them – great. If we can’t learn the lesson, then it doesn’t matter what we do.”

van Riemsdyk’s (almost) ready and raring to go

MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses James van Riemsdyk’s imminent Red Wings debut:

“Whether we use him tomorrow or not, that’s still to be determined,” coach Todd McLellan said. “If not, I expect him in Monday (at Toronto). But he’s a hockey player now. He’s back into it. And I think after watching last night, he probably wants to get in there and try to make a difference as well.”

The Red Wings lost 5-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. They worked on many of their issues Friday in practice. Van Riemsdyk replaced Elmer Soderblom at left wing on a line centered by Michael Rasmussen, with Mason Appleton on the right side.

“I’m feeling better and better and just about getting back into it now and again, I think just getting the timing down and some of those things, and some extra practice is never a bad thing,” van Riemsdyk said. “So, you just got to stay ready to go.”

The 17-year NHL veteran joined the team on Oct. 1 after tending to a family matter in Minnesota, forcing him to play catch-up.

“There’s that general buildup that you get when you start on Day One,” he said. “You’re kind of jumping on a little bit of a moving train here when you come a little bit later. But I think with my experience and having been through these sort of things before, it’s almost like coming back from an injury in a way where you’re just trying to build yourself back up and make sure you’re ready to go. When you first get back in it’s just about mentally being sharp with your details and things like that. And then it’s like riding a bike, where it becomes more natural the more reps you get.”

Continued (paywall); as Khan notes, the Wings will have to open a roster spot for JvR, most likely by demoting Erik Gustafsson to Grand Rapids.

Framing Friday’s practice on a pessimistic note

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff reports that the Red Wings went through a tense practice on Friday afternoon, which is no surprise given the way in which they lost 5-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

[Andrew] Copp described McLellan’s message to the team before practice on Friday as “very stern.”

And entirely deserved.

“The mistakes that we made were unacceptable,” Copp said. “And I think everyone in here knows it. And each individual mistake, everyone knows it.”

Watching the video of the game, [coach Todd] McLellan felt like he was viewing a horror flick.

“I was actually shocked when I looked after the game and saw that they had 17 shots on goal and only 12 even strength, because they’ve had at least 12 outnumbered rushes,” McLellan said. “So they didn’t convert on a number of them. But that didn’t diminish the fact that we erred in a lot of those areas. It’s so much easier to fix if it’s one player or maybe one line. This was team-wide.”

Duff is less than convinced that the Red Wings can salvage their season, already…

McLellan described the poor quality of his team’s game management. The fact of the matter is that this team has been lacking in the area of game management skills long before McLellan became coach. That it never seems to improve is an alarming indictment of the player.

“It’s not going to ruin our year because we lost the first game,” Copp said.

It will if they continue to play like they did in that first game.

And that’s a little too much for me. I know that the Red Wings haven’t proved to anyone that they’re anything but the pumpkin as opposed to Cinderella’s carriage, but jeez, it really was one game after a perhaps-too-easy exhibition season. I still believe that this team can improve.

Video: Copp, JvR and coach McLellan speak with the media after Friday’s Red Wings practice

The Detroit Red Wings made some subtle tweaks to their lineup during Friday’s practice, the day after dropping a 5-1 decision to the Montreal Canadiens.

After practice, coach Todd McLellan stated that James van Riemsdyk may return on Saturday or Monday, necessitating a roster move, with Cam Talbot starting in goal for tomorrow night’s beginning of a home-and-home series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Red Wings have posted a video in which Andrew Copp, van Riemsdyk and coach McLellan speak with the media over the course of just under 18 minutes:

Post-practice Tweets: van Riemsdyk close to return; Talbot to start against Maple Leafs Saturday night

The Red Wings took part in a spirited practice at the BELFOR Training Center the day after their 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, preparing for a difficult home-and-home series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After practice, the Red Wings’ players and coach spoke with the assembled media corps:

Continue reading Post-practice Tweets: van Riemsdyk close to return; Talbot to start against Maple Leafs Saturday night

Press release: Hockey Hall of Fame to celebrate Red Wings, Blackhawks and Rangers’ centennials with special exhibit

From the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Kelly Masse:

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME CELEBERATES BLACKHAWKS, RED WINGS AND RANGERS WITH A TRIPLE CENTENNIAL EXHIBIT

Limited-time exhibit features exclusive artifacts showcasing 100 seasons

of three Original Six teams

TORONTO (October 10, 2025) – To honour three of the Original Six teams celebrating historic seasons, the Hockey Hall of Fame has opened a Triple Centennial Exhibit that will run through January 2027.

Specially curated artifacts have been chosen to represent the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers franchises from their inaugural NHL seasons in 1925-26 to present day. The display showcases stories that define milestone moments and championship seasons. Numerous Honoured Members are also highlighted in this time-limited display.

The Hockey Hall of Fame celebrated the other three Original Six NHL franchises 100th anniversaries with dedicated displays of the Montreal Canadiens in 2009, Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017 and the Boston Bruins in 2023.

“The Hockey Hall of Fame is thrilled to honour the remaining three Original Six teams of the National Hockey League who will be celebrating their 100th anniversaries.  We are excited to showcase the rich history of the Blackhawks, Red Wings and Rangers,” said Phil Pritchard, Vice-President, Resource Centre and Curator, Hockey Hall of Fame.  “Some of these unique artifacts are on display for the first time, giving hockey fans and guests a first look at hockey history.  We look forward to sharing these special memories with hockey fans of all ages.”

Featured Artifacts:

Continue reading Press release: Hockey Hall of Fame to celebrate Red Wings, Blackhawks and Rangers’ centennials with special exhibit

Tweets from Friday’s Red Wings practice: some lineup changes are made as the Wings skate the ‘bad’ out of their systems

The Detroit Red Wings laid an egg in the form of a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens last night, and coach Todd McLellan and captain Dylan Larkin didn’t hold back in terms of criticizing their team’s effort and structure (or the lack thereof).

The Red Wings kick off a home-and-home series against the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night (7 PM EDT start on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit/CBC/Sportsnet Ontario/Sportsnet West/Sportsnet Pacific/97.1 FM), too, so the Red Wings need to resolve their neutral zone coverage and tendency to surrender odd-man rushes in a hurry.

NHL.com previews tomorrow night’s match-up thusly:

Americans to duel in Detroit

Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane, potential teammates with the United States at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, will take the stage when Matthews’ Toronto Maple Leafs (1-0-0) visit Kane’s Detroit Red Wings (0-1-0) at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SNP, SNW, SNO, CBC) for the first game of a home-and-home series that concludes Monday at Toronto. The two forwards have a knack for putting on a show when they face each other; Matthews had 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) and Kane had 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in their 16 previous meetings. After scoring in Toronto’s 5-2 season-opening win against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, Matthews (402 goals) is 19 away from passing Mats Sundin (420) for most goals in Maple Leafs history. Kane (492) needs eight goals to become the fifth U.S.-born player to reach 500. He didn’t score in Detroit’s 5-1 season-opening loss to Montreal on Thursday.

Saturday night’s game is a Hockey Night in Canada match-up, too:

The Red Wings hit the ice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center at 12 PM today, and they “got skated” from the get-go:

Continue reading Tweets from Friday’s Red Wings practice: some lineup changes are made as the Wings skate the ‘bad’ out of their systems

Pressure’s on Cossa, Griffins as the AHL season begins

FloHockey’s Patrick Williams posted a set of team previews ahead of the start of the AHL season tonight, and here’s what he had to say about the Grand Rapids Griffins:

Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings): Pressure definitely abounds in Detroit as the organization’s rebuilding process continues, and that feeling certainly extends to Grand Rapids, where the Red Wings will continue to count heavily on proper development of a long list of prospects. Detroit has gone with some youth coming out of training camp, but the Griffins need to continue preparing prospects or this rebuilding plan will not pan out. Sebastian Cossa is going into his fourth pro season; he has been good, but now he needs to be dominant. Detroit signed forward John Leonard, whose 36 goals last season with Charlotte tied him for second in the AHL. 

Continued

Keeping an eye on ASP

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis offers one rookie from every NHL team to watch, and he picks one of the Red Wings’ rookie trio as his spotlighted debutante:

Detroit Red Wings: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, RHD, 20

The Red Wings will start the 2025-26 season with three rookies in the NHL (Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard being the others). While there’s a solid chance all three will end up in Grand Rapids, all three deserve to be with the big club to start the year. ASP is perhaps the most interesting – he might be a bit undersized, but he has immense skill. For starters, he plays with so much confidence – and it led to a U-20-leading 29 points in the SHL in 2024-25. His defensive game is solid, too. Sandin-Pellikka is physically engaged quite often, something that wasn’t the case in his draft year.

Continued; Sandin Pellikka probably has the highest ceiling of the three, and he looked pretty good on a very “off” night for the Wings yesterday evening.