Dylan Larkin's a seasoned veteran who knows a thing or two about Day 1 of training camp. And with Todd McLellan on board for the first time as the bench boss here in September, he already noticed a difference.
Larkin's take? “A new format for what I’ve been used to. I know Kaner [Patrick Kane], he had this in Chicago where they scrimmaged. I thought for a Day 1 scrimmage, it was very tight-checking and intense. I think Todd set the tone with that and his opening meeting. Some young players impressed, and I thought all the vets looked good. It’s a good environment to let us compete, let us learn on the fly, make mistakes and correct them, and get the game reps.”
That needed to be the case for Day 1 and it must be the gold standard beyond. Set the tone early, get the players to buy in, and success will follow. Even if you don't got the best lineup in hockey, it doesn't matter. A brilliant tone's gonna elevate everyone's game when players know the expectation and that everyone needs to raise their floor.
Larkin, of all players, must buy in. If the captain's on board from the get-go, then the crew will naturally follow. I was glad that he likened it to what Patrick Kane had during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, because we all know how well that paid dividends.
Dylan Larkin's more than on board with the Detroit Red Wings new approach
Still, nobody's expecting much from the Wings this season, and we can't blame them. They got a patchwork group in the bottom six, a massive question mark at left wing in the top six, and a few youngsters who should be with the team who you can call fringe, like Jonatan Berggren, Elmer Soderblom, and Carter Mazur.
The blue line looks better, but the third pairing's another cause for concern. And while John Gibson and Cam Talbot would've been a great goaltending duo five years ago, is that the case in 2025-26?
How do you make up for all this uncertainty? That's where Larkin comes in. Ditto for Patrick Kane, James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, and Travis Hamonic. Those guys must be on the same page for this experiment to work right now, or else we're in for a long 2025-26 campaign, which would leave us wondering if the Wings could pull off a miracle and win the draft lottery.
Yeah, the grand prize is a good one, but, given where the Wings are right now, I'd rather see Larkin lead this team and practice everything McLellan and his crew preach. It'll take a middle-of-the-road lineup to new highs if they can keep getting the message through once the preseason rolls around in a few days and head into the regular season with confidence.