Despite all the distractions surrounding the Red Wings as a team and an organization, coach Todd McLellan and his staff had to prepare for training camp regardless of who happens to be on the roster happily. McLellan spoke with the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan about said preparation.
First and foremost, McLellan admitted, in his own way, that this past summer was…unique…
“It wasn’t a traditional summer,” McLellan said. “Things happened that maybe weren’t anticipated. It wasn’t a traditional summer, but that’s OK.”
But McLellan, interim GM Shawn Horcoff and the rest of the team’s coaching and management staffs had to be ready to teach today:
“We all have jobs and responsibilities, we knew what they were and we didn’t have to deviate from them,” McLellan said. “Players are ready for training camp, and organized and we’re good to go.”
McLellan was “disappointed” when he heard about Larkin’s trade request.
“I thought myself and the staff and what we did, we do, and what can we do better,” McLellan said. “After that, it moves forward and the organization takes care of it. Coaches don’t trade players. Players don’t trade players. Trainers don’t trade players. The management team and Dylan have worked together to get to this point and they’ll continue to do that.”
McLellan and Horcoff spent a considerable amount of time together preparing for training camp and the upcoming season.
“We realized we have a lot of things we need to do and maybe the outside world only thinks about the big things (contract extensions, trades), but the little things all add up to get to this point at training camp,” McLellan said. “We feel we’re prepared. We jumped in and started working together.”
Continued (paywall).
In the multimedia department, the Detroit News also posted a 46-image photo gallery from David Guralnick and a 57-second video montage; the Free Press’s Kimberly P. Mitchell posted a 27-image photo gallery as well.
