Author: George Malik

Lucas Raymond returned to the Red Wings’ ranks on Friday morning at Little Caesars Arena, and he reflected upon his Four Nations Face-Off experience while speaking with the Free Press’s Helene St. James…

“It was a lot of fun with a lot of great players,” Raymond said. “I think it exceeded everyone’s expectations — fans and us players. The intensity, the high pace of hockey that was played — that was a lot of fun to play in. The first game against Canada is probably one of the coolest games I’ve played in, if not the coolest, with everything going on and then all the skill on the ice.”

Raymond tied (with Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson) for a team-leading three points in three games.

“His game that we see here on a regular basis transferred to that type of environment, and any time that happens, that’s a good thing,” McLellan said. “Sometimes players go and try and do too much, or they’re afraid of the stage and they don’t want to make mistakes and they shrivel up. That wasn’t him at all. He skated, he shot the puck, he competed hard — all the things he would normally do here.”

The Wings (28-22-5) have 27 games left to shore up a playoff spot — they’re in the East’s second wild-card spot, a point behind the Ottawa Senators and five points out of third place in the Atlantic Division — and having just experienced such a high level of play, Raymond is eager for more.

“It was an unreal experience, but at the same time, it’s really nice to be back and just being with the guys again,” Raymond said. “Getting to put on the winged wheel, it’s nice to be back. I think I’m even more excited for what is to come now.”

St. James also posted a short video of Raymond speaking with the media…

The Red Wings concluded their mini camp on Friday at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center, ahead of a 3-games-in-4-nights stretch which begins with a Saturday matinee against the Minnesota Wild (12:30 PM EST start on ABC/97.1 FM).

Lucas Raymond rejoined the team after competing for Sweden at the Four Nations Face-Off, but coach Todd McLellan very purposefully gave Dylan Larkin the day off after #71 participated in the Four Nations Final on Thursday night.

After practice, McLellan told MLive’s Ansar Khan that Larkin will play against Minnesota on Saturday…

#RedWings McLellan confirmed Larkin will be in the lineup tomorrow and Sunday. “He’ll be playing five games in seven days so we’ll have to find some rest for him sometime.”

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) February 21, 2025

And Lucas Raymond was the player who held a media scrum after practice:

From the Detroit Red Wings:

Gus Bus! 🚌@fairwaypacking | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/QsFBUZO08T

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 21, 2025

The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, Arpon Basu, Fluto Shinzawa and Michael Russo offered observations on each of the Four Nations Face-Off teams with the 2026 Olympics just a year away, and here’s what they had to say about Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy:

Larkin, Boldy solidify their spots

Dylan Larkin and Matt Boldy scored the winning goals against Finland and Canada (the first game), respectively, and were as consistent as they come in the tournament.

Boldy got better and better as the tournament went — and got to the dirty areas, which has been the biggest criticism of him in the playoffs for the Minnesota Wild. The World Juniors gold medalist from 2021 was a threat in each game. It was vindication after some criticized U.S. general manager Bill Guerin for putting him on the team, saying it was favoritism for a player Guerin also manages as Wild GM.

Larkin, meanwhile, could be in line for an elevated role in the Olympics.

The Red Wings captain started as a fourth-line winger, accepted that role and ended up as third-line center between J.T. Miller and Boldy. When Matthew Tkachuk left the final, Larkin showed how handy he is by popping up to the top six.

He’ll just keep getting more responsibility because he’s so fast and versatile.

Continued (paywall); it turns out that Larkin is more than just a star player–he’s also a Swiss Army Knife, endlessly adaptable.

The Detroit Red Wings took to the ice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center this morning.

Today is the last day of the Red Wings’ “mini camp,” which the team hopes will prepare them for the stretch run schedule.

Said schedule begins with a tough 3-games-in-4-nights stretch against Minnesota on Saturday, Anaheim on Sunday, and at Minnesota on Tuesday. The Red Wings then host the Columbus Blue Jackets next Thursday, and play in the Stadium Series game a week from Saturday.

Not surprisingly, Lucas Raymond rejoined his Red Wings teammates, but Dylan Larkin sat out practice, as coach Todd McLellan indicated on Thursday:

Lucas Raymond back in the mix for the last day of the Red Wings’ mini training camp pic.twitter.com/2gPWqNuU7s

— Sam Stockton (@_samstockton) February 21, 2025

Fourth and final day of #RedWings mini-camp before returning to action tomorrow at home against Minnesota (12:30, ABC). Raymond has joined the team after a few days off following his 4 Nations stint with Sweden. pic.twitter.com/RBF6CicEZ0

— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) February 21, 2025

Lucas Raymond back in the Red Wings fold after a few days to decompress from 4 Nations. pic.twitter.com/aKEPEDVMdb

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) February 21, 2025

The latest episode of the Flying Octopus podcast is out this morning…

And the Hockey Writers’ Tony Wolak discusses the keys to the Red Wings’ playoff push this morning…

Red Wings’ Focus Areas 

Part of a strong finish is addressing organizational weaknesses. And for the Red Wings, there are three that stand out: 

1. Five-on-five offense
2. Penalty kill
3. Defensive depth

You can make the case that others should be included here, but, in my opinion, these are the three main deficiencies at the moment. 

Despite a general resurgence under McLellan, Detroit’s five-on-five offense is still a work in progress. At even-strength, their 2.14 goals-for per 60 (GF/60), 24.46 scoring chances-for per 60 (SCF/60), and 10.18 high-danger chances-for per 60 (HDCF/60) since the coaching change all sit in the bottom-half of the league. 

Likewise, their penalty kill has been better, but not by much. Detroit’s 71.8 kill percentage under McLellan ranks 26th in the NHL. That said, if you only focus on the last 10 games, their 80 percent kill rate is respectable. Still, you can’t assume that the issue is resolved completely.

And finally, the Red Wings don’t have much depth beyond their top two defensive pairs. Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl have been fine on the third pairing. But beyond them, there’s only William Lagesson, at least until Jeff Petry returns in April. An injury to the top four could be devastating.

It’s absolutely critical that the Red Wings address these three problem areas down the stretch. Doing so will make the race to 92 points that much easier.

Wolak continues…

And the Hockey Writers’ Devin Little shared his impressions of the Four Nations Face-Off:

NHL.com’s Jon Lane looks ahead to the resumption of the NHL’s 2024-2025 schedule, which begins on Saturday with the Red Wings’ home game against the Minnesota Wild:

Minnesota Wild at Detroit Red Wings (12:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+)

The Red Wings (28-22-5) hold the second wild card in the East, one point behind the Ottawa Senators and one ahead of the Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets. They won seven in a row before losing 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena on Feb. 8, are 15-5-1 since coach Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26 and will face the Blue Jackets in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1. The Wild (33-19-4) are third in the Central Division after not qualifying for the playoffs last season. Goalie Filip Gustavsson returns from the 4 Nations, where he made two starts for Sweden. His 37 saves in a 2-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 6 was his 63rd with Minnesota, passing Dwayne Roloson (62) for fourth in Wild history.

Continued; the Red Wings then host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, and head to Minnesota on Tuesday to wrap up their home-and-home series.

After that, next Thursday, the Wings host the Blue Jackets, and the Stadium Series beckons on Saturday, March 1st.

That’s 5 games in 8 days, and after a 2-day break, the Wings will play 3 games in 4 nights. The stretch run isn’t just brutal in terms of quality of competition; it’s also very condensed over the course of the last 27 games.

Team USA lost the Four Nations Face-Off final on Thursday night, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to Team Canada, but The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was among several American players who chose to look forward to the next big match-up between the U.S. and Canada:

The players Bill Guerin assembled to don Team USA sweaters for the grand success that was the 4 Nations Face-Off were only together for 12 days, but they bonded and invested much into trying to win a tournament that will never happen again. And even though they fell to the archrival Canadians, 3-2 in overtime, they cannot wait to regather in less than a year in Milan, Italy, for the 2026 Olympics.

“There is something to look forward to with this group, which is great,” said Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who was great in all four games for the Americans. “That’s the big one. And I know that it’s a little bit of a different tournament, different rules, but we really feel like we can play any kind of game on any kind of surface and anywhere against anyone.

“Billy built the team that can do that, and we’re confident about that. Would have loved to have this thing keep going and play some more hockey against those guys.”

Larkin also told Russo that the Americans experienced tremendous cohesion on and off the ice, starting with a team-building dinner in Montreal last Monday night:

“This has been a first-class experience, and something that I’ll always remember,” Larkin said. “I’ll always be proud that I was just a part of it, and that I can say right now that I gave it my all for this team and the guys in this room. That dinner we had in Montreal, when Bill brought back the legends from the ’80 team and Mike Modano and (Gaudreau’s dad, Guy), like, that was the coolest night of all of this. And then we just continued to make great memories. It was a tremendous group to be around.”

Larkin and the rest of the Americans can’t wait to put on that dark blue USA Hockey sweater again at the 2026 Olympics for their next chance to slay the dragon that always seems to get the best of them: Canada.

Update: For what it’s worth, Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler gave Larkin a strong grade for his Four Nations Final performance:

Dylan Larkin: 8/10
Larkin’s ascension from the fourth line to the first is now complete, with the Red Wings captain capping what’s been a really solid tournament with one of his best efforts. While he was held off the scoresheet Thursday night, his speed up and down the wing to generate scoring chances — and a close call in the first, that almost saw him tie things up after breaking free and picking up his own rebound — helped the U.S. match Canada’s pace, and his penalty kill prowess came up clutch, too. 

As the Red Wings prepare for their 27-game stretch run schedule, the Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of the Red Wings’ emphasis on establishing “good habits” over the course of the team’s 4-day “mini camp”:

Todd McLellan gathered his players and ended practice with an expletive and a plea: Don’t let your habits slip.

It was a reminder to the Detroit Red Wings as they emerge from the 4 Nations Face-Off break that every game matters. Not that players who were around last season should need a reminder: They occupied the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot on Feb. 28, 2024, only to stumble through a seven-game losing streak and eventually miss the playoffs by a tiebreaker. This season’s team has banked 31 points since Christmas to sit in the second wild-card spot as they resume play Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, two weeks after losing at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the last game before the break.

“The value of two points is no different on any game day 82 times a year,” McLellan said Thursday. “And I don’t think players think like that all the time. They can give themselves permission, and then they regret it. I don’t like talking about last year, I wasn’t here — but I know what happened. And yeah — empty net, pull the goalie, not in. But that wasn’t what prevented them from getting in the playoffs. There was a game during the year where they gave themselves permission — you know what, it’s not that important tonight. They played poorly, and it cost them.

“Let’s hope that Tampa game the other night wasn’t our night. And we talk about that a little bit — this could be the night that it really matters.”

Coach McLellan also said that between the Red Wings’ condensed schedule and the NHLPA’s requirement that every team has four days off per month, he’s not certain whether the Wings will have a whole lot of practices left with which to rectify their errors:

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff profiled Red Wings assistant coach Trent Yawney this morning, noting that Yawney is an integral part of coach Todd McLellan’s staff:

A former NHL defenseman who logged 593 games along big-league bluelines, Yawney as a coach is credited with being a sensei for young defensemen. Already, there’s evidence of that in Detroit. Simon Edvinsson, 22, is playing his best hockey the season since McLellan and Yawney arrived in town. Rookie Albert Johansson, 24, is performing with the poise of a veteran since his insertion into the second pairing alongside Edvinsson.

“Obviously I wanted him here, I felt like I needed him here,” McLellan said of Yawney. “It just hasn’t been here, but the young defensemen in Edmonton and Anaheim and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (in Chicago) would tell you that.

“The development he’s done in the American League as well as all the other organizations in and around the NHL would give you the best answer to how important he is, but we’re lucky to have him.”

…

With Yawney, it’s not all hugs and positive reinforcement. He’ll swing a few brickbats, as well as delivering bouquets. But every defenseman he coaches knows when times are tough, Yawney has got their back.

“I think Yawns’ biggest strength is his support for the back end,” McLellan said. “It’s not always kumbaya and everything’s fine. He treats them like a father would and holds them accountable, but also has a lot of support for them. When we get into the coaches room and we start bitching about a defenseman, there is support there and I think the D feel that.”

Continued