Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings Have Size, Need To Measure Up
McLellan doesn’t believe his team plays big
Size isn’t an issue for the Detroit Red Wings. Sizing up, on the other hand, often is an issue.
Checking the Detroit roster, among the forwards, Elmer Soderblom is 6-foot-8 and 252 pounds. Michael Rasmussen stands 6-6 and tips the scales at 222 pounds. James van Riemsdyk is 6-3 and 210 pounds.
Along the blueline, Simon Edvinsson is 6-6 and 222. Ben Chiarot goes 6-3 and 222. Moritz Seider is 6-2 and 210.
Some Mo Seider Hits #RedWings #LGRW pic.twitter.com/W37kwykVeo
— The Wings Wagon (@TheWingsWagon) October 20, 2024
In total, the Red Wings count 19 six-footers and a dozen 200-pounders on the club’s 23-player roster.
“We’re not a small team,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “It just sometimes we don’t play big.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Through 16 games, the Red Wings rank 21st in the NHL with 306 hits. That works out to 18.86 hits per 60 minutes, which is 26th overall in the NHL.
Individually, you’ll run all the way down to 45th place among the NHL hit leaders before bumping into a Detroit player. That would be forward Marco Kasper, who has 40 hits.
Rookie Emmitt Finnie (97th, 29 hits) is the only other current Red Wings forward among the top 150 in this category.
Now, it should be noted that hits alone aren’t the true measurement of what it means to play big. It is a significant element.
So is using your body to protect the puck. Winning one-on-one puck battles. Exhibiting a willingness to occupy and protect the space around both net fronts is another vital factor to playing big.
Red Wings Not Utilizing Physical Attributes
McLellan thinks that too many players on his team aren’t taking full advantage of the gifts that Mother Nature and a lifetime of physical training have combined to provide to them.
Tuesday @ the office pic.twitter.com/jVHZLVCAnk
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 11, 2025
“We have some length,” McLellan said. “We have guys that are long and tall. And e have some girth.
“Those players have to give us more of that. Now, the smaller players can also do that. They can roll around, and sometimes they’re the toughest to handle in and around the blue paint because they got a low center of gravity. They’re quick, they’ve got to dart in and out.
“And we’re just not seeing enough of that.”
