According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, coach Todd McLellan has spoken with Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond regarding shooting the puck more, and he’s hoping that Raymond takes heed:

Raymond averaged 2.16 shots per game [last season], down slightly from 2.34 the season before. He’s scored 25 and 27 goals in each of the past two seasons after producing a career-high 31 in 2023-24. McLellan believes he can flirt with the 40-goal mark if he unleashes his shot a little more.

“He’s got a tremendous shot,” McLellan said. “When I sat with him and we looked at numbers and the amount of shots, he is a 30- goal-scorer who gets compared to the 40-goal scorers like DeBrincat. The difference between the two — and they get equal opportunity — I think Razor can get his number up there.

“You take simple shooting percentage. If he can run it at 11, 12 percent, just keep firing away. Now, it’s not done erratically where it makes no sense. Hold on to the puck then. But if he has it, I’d rather him shoot it than defer to anybody else. Maybe to Cat, that’s it.”

Raymond suggests that he understands where McLellan is coming from:

“If you can keep the same shooting percentage and increase your shots, you’re going to score more goals,” Raymond said. “For sure, I want to shoot the puck. I like my shot, but I play my game and I’m not going to shoot for the sake of it, but for sure want to get my shot volume up.

“You set goals coming into a year, maybe not so much stat-based, but maybe your play-wise and what you want to get out of game. You look at shots, that’s one of those things, trying to increase the shots.”