Red Wings Coach Sees Zetterberg in Raymond’s Game

From afar, before he took his current job, Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan was certain about one thing when it came to Lucas Raymond.

He knew that the kid was a real talent. And that was about all he knew.

“I’m in the West,” McLellan explained. “I don’t see Detroit play that much.

“We hear about this Raymond kid. We see him in the highlights, but do we focus on his development and what he’s done really well to improve and all that type of stuff?

“Not really.”

An absolute snipe on the power play from Lucas Raymond!#LGRW pic.twitter.com/Jb1yipiaX5

— FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) January 19, 2025

During McLellan’s 12-game tenure as coach of the Red Wings, it’s doubtful that any player has proven more valuable to the cause than Raymond. Over that span, Raymond has points in 10 of the 12 games, with 6-11-17 totals. He’s been the driver of the Detroit offense.

Red Wings McLellan Also Coached Zetterberg

Seeing Raymond at work on a daily basis has proven to be an eye-opening experience for his new coach.

“Now that I’m here, you see the tenacity that he plays with,” McLellan said. “He’s got an abrasiveness to him that I wasn’t aware of. He’s obviously got all the skills and all that other stuff.”

McLellan’s first tenure with the Red Wings was as an assistant coach from 2005-08. And he was reaching back into that time to find a player he’s coached that he views as a comparable to Raymond.

“For me, he’s got some of . . .” McLellan stopped himself in mid-sentence before continuing his thought process.

Henrik Zetterberg – The Conn Smythe shift pic.twitter.com/k9qcj76cXE

— Did the Red Wings Win? (@DidThe_WingsWin) August 12, 2018

“I’m going to use a name, and he’s not that player, but I see a little bit of (Henrik) Zetterberg in him like that determination and that little bit of abrasiveness, the fire kind of.

“So throw in all the other skills and that’s what I see in Lucas.”

It’s high praise, indeed. McLellan was coaching Zetterberg when the former Detroit captain was at the zenith of his abilities. In 2007-08, as he was helping lead the Red Wings to their most recent Stanley Cup title, Zetterberg was also winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP.

Zetterberg Mentoring Raymond

What makes the comparable even more intriguing is that since Raymond was joining the Red Wings organization, Zetterberg has been serving as a mentor of sorts to the young Swedish prodigy.

“Being able to talk to Zäta in everyday life is very cool,” Raymond told Swedish website Aftonbladet.se, referring to Zetterberg by his Swedish nickname. “He helps me a lot.

“We’ve had quite a lot of contact actually. He’s been in Detroit quite a bit. I try to talk to him as much as possible. I try to take in as much as possible.”