Sports Illustrated’s Nathan Smith ponders whether Red Wings coach Todd McLellan should “be on the hot seat” over the course of the 2026-2027 season.
[T]his roster isn’t one that screams genuine Stanley Cup contender, as the team is relying on players in their early 20s alongside Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin, and while that’s a good starting point for a roster, this is a team that’s severely lacking star power.
Then, this off-season, Detroit made very few moves to improve the roster, and with the front office now missing a General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, there are plenty of holes for the organization to fill.
All of this heaps more and more pressure on McLellan, and while the Red Wings should likely be moving towards another rebuild, the higher-ups in the front office and the fanbase are running out of patience, and that may, unfairly at that, force McLellan and the team towards a Stanley Cup Playoffs push in 2026/27.
Clearly, there are enough holes on this roster and in the current front office that putting the pressure on McLellan is very unfair, but in the NHL, teams demand success, and after a decade in the post-season wilderness, and at 58 years old, McLellan is the type of coach that’s experienced enough to get the best out of his teams.
Realistically, given the state of this roster, McLellan should be given extended reign to see if he can lead this young core led by Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider towards future success, but given the vacancies in the front office, this could all change in an instant once a new hire or two become official.
As of right now, there are many different factors that go into McLellan’s future from the new hire to Dylan Larkin’s trade situation, but if he can’t have this team looking like one that has potential to be a Stanley Cup Playoffs contender with this core, 2026/27 could be his last.
I’d suggest that he’s both definitely feeling warmth under his seat, and, at the same time, that he remains the best candidate for the Wings’ turnaround job right now.
I don’t know whether he’s going to be able to lead the Wings to the playoffs in 2026-2027, but keeping this team even marginally competitive in the NHL’s most difficult division would be a “win” in my book.
To me, McLellan’s style of coaching is perhaps best-suited to a young team that’s trying to eliminate some hard-wired bad habits, and I hope that he’s afforded a long-enough leash to still be here when the franchise turns things around.
