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Coach McLellan praises Lucas Raymond’s tenacity

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan asked Red Wings coach Todd McLellan to weigh in on Lucas Raymond’s talents now that the coach sees #23 on a nightly basis, and here’s what McLellan said:

“From afar we hear about this Raymond kid and see him in the highlights, but do we focus on his development and what he’s done real well to improve and all that stuff? Not really,” McLellan said. “Now that I’m here, you see the tenacity he plays with. He’s got an abrasiveness to him that I wasn’t aware of. He’s got all the skills.”

At that point, McLellan reached back to his past life as an assistant coach with the Wings from 2005-08 and came up with a player that Raymond has similarities with. Now, McLellan was quick to point out Raymond isn’t that player, but simply has similar characteristics.

Yes, Henrik Zetterberg, a Wings’ legend from back in that era and possible Hall of Famer some day.

“For me, he’s got some of, and I’m going to use his name and he’s not that player, but he has a little bit of Zetterberg in him,” McLellan said. “That determination and little bit of abrasiveness, the fire kind of. So, throw in all the other skills and that’s what I see in Lucas.”

Continued

Examining the Red Wings ‘coach’s bump’

The Hockey News’s Carol Schram examines the “coaching bump” that the Red Wings have experienced under coach Todd McLellan:

Five skaters have produced at a point-per-game or better since McLellan took over, and all five have six points or more on the power play. 

Patrick Kane and Lucas Raymond lead the way with 13 points each, followed by Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat at 11 and Moritz Seider with eight.

Larkin is also leading all players who have taken more than 100 faceoffs since the Christmas break, with a win rate of 61.2 percent over 134 draws. J.T. Compher is holding his own at 50.4 percent of 121 draws, and Andrew Copp is chipping in at 57.5 percent on 73 draws.

In net, Alex Lyon had been the main man since McLellan’s arrival, with a .931 save percentage and 1.64 goals-against average. But after he suffered an upper-body injury in the first period against the Ottawa Senators a week ago, Cam Talbot has carried the torch admirably.

Lyon is listed as day-to-day. Surely the team would love to have him back before testing its mettle on a tough three-in-four road stretch this weekend — facing the Florida Panthers on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Continued; Schram goes in-depth here…

McLellan to evaluate Ville Husso tonight vs. San Jose

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton reports that Red Wings coach Todd McLellan sees starting Ville Husso this evening against the San Jose Sharks as something of an experiment:

As Detroit looks to continue its winning ways, coach Todd McLellan will be turning to Ville Husso in net for the first time since his takeover.  Husso last appeared at the NHL level on Dec. 14, when he beat the Toronto Maple Leafs for his first NHL victory in over a calendar year.  Since then, he’s started three times in the AHL for the Grand Rapids Griffins, winning two of those outings including a 31-save shutout his last time out against the Cleveland Monsters on the second of the month.

“It’s our first opportunity to watch him play,” said McLellan of Husso after this morning’s skate. “And from what I’ve heard from people around the team, players included, he played really well when he was here. He didn’t get a lot of run support. Sometimes good goaltending needs help. I’m hoping that he can provide that first part and the rest of the crew can help him with everything else.”

For, McLellan, meanwhile, tonight’s game represents a chance to go up against the team with which he began his head coaching career, having jumped from being a Red Wing assistant to the Sharks head man in the summer of 2008. Of that moment, he said this morning, “You think you’re ready. You’re ready to leave Detroit and go to San Jose, and you carry yourself like you are, but you still have a lot to learn…I think the game has changed a lot since then too, so you have to evolve with it.”

Continued

Red Wings ‘riding high’ going into game vs. San Jose

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills sets up tonight’s match-up between the Red Wings and Sharks:

“I think we’re riding a lot of highs and there’s a lot of positivity in our game,” Joe Veleno said. “We just got to keep playing to our strengths, doing what we’re doing and riding this thing right now.”

The Red Wings are coming off a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. Detroit jumped on Seattle early, taking a 4-0 lead before the eight-minute mark of the first period, and never looked back.

“During this stretch, I think we’ve been challenged in a lot of different ways,” Veleno said. “Obviously, being up with the lead and being down against. Last game, being up a lot of goals. I don’t think we’ve been in that situation much this year. There’s been a lot of different challenges that we’ve faced, good and bad. We’re doing a good job with receiving these challenges and responding well to them.”

The Red Wings also went 3-for-5 on the power play against the Kraken, the 11th time this season Detroit has scored multiple man-advantage goals and the eighth game in a row the club has lit the lamp with an extra skater. The Red Wings are now 14-for-28 (50 percent) on the power play under head coach Todd McLellan and, in all, enter Tuesday with the NHL’s second-highest power-play success rate (28.6 percent).

“We’ve gotten really good at retrieving pucks and attacking off of it,” said Lucas Raymond, who leads Detroit with 22 power-play points this season. “Obviously, our shot mentality and just making plays when they’re there. I think that’s a big part. You have to read, react and find the plays.”

Continued

Brad Stuart’s back in Metro Detroit to watch his sons compete with the NTDP

The Detroit News’s Mark Falkner reports that former Red Wing Brad Stuart has moved to Michigan to support his sons’ hockey dreams:

It was Game 1 of the 2008 NHL Western Conference semifinals against the arch-rival Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart asked to skip the game because he had “something more important to attend to.”

Stuart flew to Los Gatos, California, with the blessing of Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, for the birth of his second son, Logan, born on April 23, 2008, the same day as Detroit’s 4-3 win in the opener against the Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena.

Now, 16 years after Detroit swept Colorado and won the franchise’s 11th and last Stanley Cup, Stuart has returned to Michigan from Manhattan Beach, California, to follow his son’s hockey careers with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Plymouth Township.

Logan, 16, is a center with the U17 team and is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Jake, who turned 18 last week, is also a center with the U18 team. He’ll play in Thursday’s All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena for top U.S. prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft (7 p.m., NHL Network).

“At the time, it was a little more acceptable for a guy to miss the birth of a child,” Stuart, 45, said. “Now, it’s expected you’ll be there. The decision wasn’t really that hard for me. I had been there for the birth of Jake, my older boy and I had also missed a game but it didn’t happen in the playoffs. Obviously, I wanted to play, for sure, but I knew these kind of moments are ones you don’t want to miss.”

The Stuart boys played most of their junior hockey with the Los Angeles Junior Kings, coached by their dad, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound defensive defenseman who played 1,056 games with six NHL teams, including five years with the Wings from 2007-2012.

Continued (paywall)

Tweets of note: Sharks to start Georgiev vs. Husso

The San Jose Sharks held their morning skate ahead of tonight’s game against the hometown Detroit Red Wings (7 PM on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/NBCSA/97.1 FM), and their news developments can be summarized thusly:

Talking trade deadline strategy

Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz discusses each and every NHL team’s “biggest trade chip” ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, and while he believes that the Wings might move Vladimir Tarasenko, he also feels that Detroit might stand pat:

Detroit Red Wings: Vladimir Tarasenko

It remains to be seen what, if anything, general manager Steve Yzerman does at the trade deadline.

The Red Wings have rapidly turned things around after replacing Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan behind the bench. But is that a real turnaround or just a short-term burst after a coaching change?

If it is a real turnaround, they might be in a position to add something. But Yzerman does not seem happy to just make the playoffs and lose in the first round. He wants to build a consistent contender and may still be patient with his trade deadline approach.

If the Red Wings cool off and slow down, they could still become sellers. One player that should probably be at the top of that list is Tarasenko.

Things have not really worked out as planned for him in Detroit, and even though his numbers are down this season he is a small enough investment and has enough of a track record that there might still be a market for him.

If the buy, I can’t see the Red Wings dipping deep into their prospect pool.

I also can’t imagine selling off anybody major should they fall back out of the race.

Continued; I’m not expecting the Wings to “sell,” but Tarasenko is having a difficult time to be certain.

Video: Veleno, Raymond and coach McLellan speak with the media prior to Wings-Sharks

The Detroit Red Wings held their morning skate before tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/NBCSCA/97.1 FM).

Coach McLellan delivered “good news/bad news” after the skate as McLellan reported that Ville Husso would start tonight, and that Alex Lyon was making progress in his recovery, but also that Jeff Petry won’t accompany the team on its 4-game road trip.

The Red Wings have posted a video of Joe Veleno, Lucas Raymond and coach McLellan speaking with the media:

Allen on Jake Walman

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen wrote an article about former Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman this morning:

Defenseman Jake Walman prefers to look at today’s return to Detroit more in terms of renewing friendships rather then rehashing the circumstances of his departure.

“Can’t really change what happened in the past, but take the positives from it,” Walman told San Jose Hockey Now’s Josh Frojelin.

Walman told our sister website that he’s excited to visit with old friends. Two months ago, when the Red Wings visited San Jose, Walman went to dinner Alex DeBrincat, Joe Veleno, Moritz Seider, and Lucas Raymond.

“A lot of good memories will probably be flowing through my head,” Walman said. “It’ll be a happy time and a lot of smiles for me, for sure. Seeing guys I know, seeing people from the city that I know.”

To read the entire SJHN story, click here…

Last summer, the Red Wings paid the Sharks a second-round pick to take Jake Walman and his $3.4 million cap hit.

The Red Wings’ primary objective was to clear some cap space needed to re-sign existing players such as Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane. At the time, the Red Wings were also interested in signing others that didn’t happen. But there were underlying issues beyond the salary cap. Not everyone in the organization appreciated Walman’s “Griddy” celebration, nor the possibility that it would become part of his routine.  Although it was never a major issue, it’s fair to say management didn’t always like Walman’s approach.

Continued

Post-morning skate Tweets: Husso starts vs. Sharks; Lyon progressing

The Detroit Red Wings host the San Jose Sharks at Little Caesars Arena this evening (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/NBCSCA/97.1 FM), with the Red Wings hoping to extend their winning streak to eight games.

MLive’s Ansar Khan and the Hockey News’s Sam Stockton reported that Ville Husso will start tonight, and that there were no changes otherwise to the Wings’ lineup at the morning skate.

After Detroit’s morning skate, the players and coach spoke with the Wings’ media corps:

Continue reading Post-morning skate Tweets: Husso starts vs. Sharks; Lyon progressing