Hopefully, the hiring of Todd McLellan can breathe new life into a lifeless Detroit Red Wings roster. The firing of Derek Lalonde seemed inevitable, especially after the Red Wings lost back-to-back games against Montreal, followed by a 4-0 beatdown at the hands of the St. Louis Blues just before the three-day Christmas break. Lalonde's contract was set to expire at the end of this season, and it appeared as though general manager Steve Yzerman was prepared to ride this season out and make a change before heading into the off-season. The Red Wings have performed so poorly this year, a year after missing out on a playoff berth due to losing a tie-breaker with the Washington Capitals, and have seemingly regressed this season, a year in which we expected this team to earn a wild card spot.
The Red Wings struggled to generate offense under Lalonde's strategy, averaging just 2.56 goals per game (fourth worst in the NHL), with a goal differential of minus -23 (the worst in the Eastern Conference). Often, they found themselves in a defensive shell when the game was tied or when they were leading by a goal in the third period. At times, even midway through the game, they seemed more focused on surviving than on maintaining the aggressive pace they had shown earlier in the contest.
The Red Wings are barely treading water with a 13-17-4 record good for 30 points in 34 games. Many wondered, myself included, why it was taking Yzerman so long to make a change, especially with the likes of Joel Quenneville and Gerard Gallant available. Yzerman clearly had his eye on McLellan, another coach with whom he has a personal relationship, but he needed to clear a couple of hurdles before getting the hire completed. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, McLellan, who was most recently fired by the Kings midway through last season, had one year remaining on his $5.5 million contract with L.A. The Detroit Red Wings and Kings reportedly spent the morning negotiating how to handle the financial terms tied to McLellan’s existing deal before finalizing his move to Detroit.
A new voice, and much needed change on the Detroit Red Wings bench
McLellan, a former assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings, coached Yzerman during his final season, the 2005-06 season, under Mike Babcock. So, Yzerman was able to observe McLellan from a player's perspective and then from a management eye once he joined the Red Wings front office under Ken Holland following the conclusion of his playing career. During the Red Wings 2007-08 Stanley Cup run, McLellan remained part of Detroit's staff before receiving his first head coaching opportunity with the San Jose Sharks the following year. McLellan reached the postseason six out of seven years with the Sharks, compiling a 311-163-66 regular season record over that span. After being let go by San Jose, McLellan latched on with the Edmonton Oilers 123-119-24 with one playoff appearance in four years. His next spot would be in Los Angeles, where he made two postseason appearances over four-plus seasons, going 164-130-44.
McLellan was fired midway through last season when the Kings maintained a 23-15-10 record. A couple of observations: When McLellan began his head coaching career, he walked into a San Jose job with a stout roster that was ready to compete. He'd steer the Sharks to three 50+ win seasons. With both the Oilers and Kings, he'd inherit teams that needed patience, structure, and tough love before seeing the fruits of his labor. In both of his first seasons with L.A. and Edmonton, his team would finish seventh in the Pacific Division before eventually qualifying for the postseason in the following seasons.
Along with the removal of Lalonde also came the firing of associate coach Bob Boughner, who ran the defense and penalty kill, both of which have been atrocious this season. His replacement is Trent Yawney, a long-time friend and former teammate of McLellan dating back to their junior hockey days in 1983. As Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now recently mentioned, Yawney spent 593 NHL games with the Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Calgary Flames. He would also captain Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Yawney was also the first to get an NHL head coaching shot with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005. Three years later, when McLellan, fresh off a Stanley Cup win as a Red Wings assistant coach, was offered the head coaching position with the San Jose Sharks, his first call was to Yawney. McLellan's trusted assistant also spent one season on the bench in Edmonton and all five years with him in Los Angeles.
Detroit Red Wings starting goaltender Cam Talbot spoke about McLellan following his departure from the Kings last season; the two also crossed paths with the Edmonton Oilers. “I think he’s a great coach. I love playing for him … I’ve loved Todd ever since I was back in Edmonton. He’s extremely detailed. Knows when to push, knows when to pull back. He’s really good about that. He’s a good communicator.”
I repeatedly mentioned that after two first-time head coaches, I had hoped the Detroit Red Wings opted for a coach with NHL head coaching experience this time. Hopefully, McLellan can spark this talented roster, which has been vastly underachieving for most of the 2024-25 season.