Why did Todd McLellan choose the Detroit Red Wings?

We’ve already discussed the recent change to Todd McLellan as the new head coach and Trent Yawney as the new assistant coach.

I looked to the Winged Wheel Podcast for insight. While there are plenty of other voices that I respect, the Winged Wheel Podcast tends to make content easily digestible for me. They offer various perspectives without getting too high or low on things, so I appreciate their input on the hiring of McLellan.

As I performed my casual fan research, I found arguments that McLellan is a defensive-minded coach, then other reports that he’s an offensively-minded coach. Brad Krysko on the Winged Wheel Podcast helped clarify that McLellan isn’t a coach who uses one system. Instead, he molds to the players that he has, so with some teams, he’s more defensively-minded (think Los Angeles Kings), and with others, he can be more offensively driven (think Edmonton Oilers). 

Regardless of where McLellan went, he was handed a competitive roster. Every team he’s coached in the National Hockey League (NHL) is lightyears ahead of the team that dresses in the Winged Wheel tonight. So, it begs a huge, thought-provoking (at least for me) question.

Why is Todd McLellan the new head coach of the Detroit Red Wings?

Here are some initial points as to why he might have been interested in coaching the Detroit Red Wings.

The easiest answer is usually the right one, which might be that the Detroit Red Wings were the only option. Or at the very least, the best option financially for McLellan. 

Even though he’s no longer coaching for the Los Angeles Kings, they are still paying McLellan (or at least were until he signed with the Detroit Red Wings). There is likely an agreement between the two teams on who is paying when, but McLellan is making a pretty penny. Also, it’s for multi-years with the Detroit Red Wings.

In short, not only is the money a draw, but the fact that he’s signed for multiple years means that McLellan has financial security for a few years. 

However, I’d argue that it’s the biggest gamble of McLellan’s head coaching career to agree to coach the Detroit Red Wings.

If the Edmonton Oilers resembled the Bad News Bears back in the day (when McLellan was their head coach), I hate to know what the Detroit Red Wings might be. 

At least with the Edmonton Oilers, they had Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Detroit Red Wings, on the other hand, have Dylan Larkin—our leader but isn’t in the same tier as those two, and Lucas Raymond up front. Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson are sound pieces to the foundation, along with the fun lines of Marco Kasper, Joseph Veleno, and Jonatan Berggren. 

These pieces for the Detroit Red Wings are promising, but they can only do so much.

The leaders of this team, or supposed veterans, are meant to lead this team. At times, each of the veteran players has shown why they were signed, yet, none of them have put together consistent performances to date to demand a seat at the table. 

I’d argue that with Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane, the system that their former head coach ran wasn’t at all to their strengths. In many ways, it exacerbated their downfalls more than anything. Players do have to buy into systems and play to the best of their abilities, but coaches have to understand the players that they have as well. I think the combination wasn’t working, so I’m hoping with an update to the system and more flexibility these two will come through.

It’s reasonable to assume that McLellan might feel comfortable or confident in those two. Along with the youth and Larkin, they might be the reason he was drawn to the Detroit Red Wings aside from financial and stability reasons. The rest of the team, though, I wonder how they factored into his choice to lead the Detroit Red Wings.

The rest of the players form the mushy middle of mediocrity. Some nights, guys like Michael Rasmussen, Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry (who’s arguably been the better side of the meh), J.T. Compher, and Andrew Copp have shown up to play the game. Most nights, though, I’m left wondering if they’ve even played—or even worse, I think they’ve placed a nice wager against the Detroit Red Wings and are trying to make easy money.

Players try harder than I like to give them credit for, but they’re still being paid millions of dollars. Then go out on the ice and do nothing (or less than nothing). Afterward, they sit next to their captain, who is rightfully upset (almost looking like he’s holding back tears) and is clearly as frustrated as the fans without lending any helping hand or support. Might as well be a doll lying on a shelf.

Of course, Larkin isn’t without his faults. He’s struggled at times, but there’s a reason that everyone still wants to play on Larkin’s wing. On this rendition of the Detroit Red Wings, Larkin (even in a slump) is still the best center on the team, and it’s not particularly close. Kasper is developing well and arguably ahead of schedule, but it’s something that will take more time. Also, I’m not sure Kasper will ever fight for Larkin’s spot. That’s okay for a young player. 

If it were me, I wouldn’t want to get anywhere near the Detroit Red Wings as I get back to head coaching in the NHL.