Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings McLellan: ‘Back to the Drawing Board’
Detroit coach baffled by his team’s inability to absorb lessons
If you want to understand the difference between the Detroit Red Wings and a capable hockey team, just look at the results from the last two games played by the Nashville Predators.
Monday, the Predators, bottom dwellers in the NHL standings, were absolutely crushed 8-3 by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
Coming to Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, Nashville outscored Detroit 5-1 in the third period to skate away with a 6-3 victory.
Afterward, Red Wings coach Todd McLellan wore the look of someone discovering that the new car they took possession of about a year ago was, in fact, a lemon.
ohhhh boy the red wings curse has started early this year 😭
— bex (razor’s version) 🇵🇱〽️ (@detrazor) November 27, 2025
“Until this team figures out that they have to value checking and defensive play, I’ll keep telling you the same things, and lo and behold, here I am again. So back to the drawing board again (at practice on Thursday).”
McLellan’s demeanor was a mix of frustration and determination. He continues to hammer into his team the lessons they need to learn to become a better hockey team. And they continue to absorb, well, none of it.
Red Wings Are Slow Learners
Back in your school days, you’ll remember the name they were giving to the students who got left back. The ones who couldn’t grasp the concept.
They were slow learners. Often, sending those students for remedial learning was the only option available for helping them to catch up to the group.
That’s the type of students that McLellan appears to have in the Detroit dressing room.
“Every time we get something, and we grab onto it, we give something else back,” McLellan said. “It’s not a sign of a good team.
“Good teams hold their lessons, and they build off of them.”
My dearest Red Wings….#LGRW pic.twitter.com/akb7r1njdL
— Jigawatt McFly (@JigawattMcFly) November 27, 2025
News flash: the Red Wings are not a good team. At 13-10-1, they are now 17th overall in the NHL. That’s mediocrity at best.
More than 30% of the way through the NHL schedule, McLellan is finding himself the skipper of a ship that is taking on water all over the hull.
“We (the coaching staff) were talking in the back room,” McLellan said. “A lot of times when you play, you get a feel for where you need to take practice the next day or your meeting or what you’re going to look for, because there’s some patterns that appear.
“But, you know, where do we as a staff take this? It’s all over the map.
“We can’t get everything done in one day.”
They have too many guys who either wont play the system the coach wants or just cant. We have about six players who could play for a contender. The goalies can only do so much. Is this a sinking ship, I dont know. I have no answers.
They have too many guys who either wont play the system the coach wants or just cant.
That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. We’ve all talked about the lack of talent in guys like Copp, Compher, Ras, Berggren, etc. Even if they wanted to play the Toddfather’s way, they couldn’t. And I’m beginning to think that’s rubbing off on the younger guys.
Building the culture of a team is the responsility of the GM. He’s the one who decides who to bring in and who to retain. And Yzerman has made a lot of bad decisions in both of those regards.
BINGO !
That’s what many of us have been saying for years…
The roster is chock full of “ballerina’s” that don’t (and won’t ever) do the tough/gritty work that’s required to compete in today’s NHL.
Why do you think the Panthers are so successful ? Cuz they are replete with scads of rough-ass, competitive dudes that do whatever it takes and play the “right way” !
Correct Bigfoot. The team is loaded with passengers, the bus is being driven by Rasmussen. Kasper is the one that’s most disappointing. He is invisible most nights in fact if you watch a broadcast they hardly ever mention his name. He’s just out of the play even when he’s on the ice. Other than a few hits now and then he’s useless.. Not even one assist all year ….how is that possible?
You’re right older than. Look at the way Beeker has turned around the Ducks so quickly. Beeker going to Anaheim and replacing him with Draper was taking two or three steps backwards.
Lol, sure, if you ignore all of the high draft picks they’ve received.
Hi Chill! Okay get that. But, Your deflecting away from the point. And I think you know that. BTW: dig your screen name 😉
Everyone here commenting truly wants the team to get better. These performances that we criticize are what fans do. It’s been a decade with bad teams, that is so sad for an Original 6 team to fall into a cycle like this. We were here during the “Darkness with Harkness” years. They were bad times for a proud franchise. There was serious mismanagement from the owner through the front office down through the roster. Hate to say this but we kind of are heading into the same cycle. Maybe for different reasons , as the league and teams are getting better all the time, making rebuilds tougher. However looking around at teams that have gone through rebuilds, you see success at a much faster rate. Now we pull for them every night and we are continually let down by what can only be described as a weak roster. People say the team has “prospects” every team has prospects. Take a long hard look at the front office people, not just the GM , all of them Draper, Clearly and all the other ex-Wings. One of the first rules of business is ” never higher friends”. Hopefully they pull out of this is. All of us would like SY to succeed. Maybe he should bring in new eyes and minds to support him in what can only be described as a poor front office.
Yikes. Higher friends? Hire😅
RR Yzerman is the front office. He isn’t just GM, he is also president of hockey ops. It’s his job to have a good front office. We can paint it anyway way we like but he has had his chance. Time for a fresh mind to take over.
You are not wrong OB!
I have come to that conclusion Obie. I have defended Yzerman for years, but have to accept that he cannot fix this. Its been too much of the same thing for years. Really since Babs left. One, not ready to play at the start. Two cant clear the puck. Three cannot protect a lead. Four cannot get enough guys to play the system the coach wants. I am mystified what has happened to Kasper. We have about six good players and the rest are along for the ride. Finally we cannot trade these “vacationers” because of their contracts, lack of performance. Nobody wants them. We cannot send them to Grand Rapids because there are too many vets there already. The Griffs can only play six a game and they have eight or nine now. So two or three sit in the stands every game. I have not answers. If somebody has any please suggest them,.
I hear what you are saying Tom. I feel the same way. So very sad to see a once mighty franchise reduced to what it is now. I was listening to an internet debate by 2 hockey people a few days ago. Hearing them laugh about The Wings makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. One guy was suggesting that they should change Yzerman’s nickname from cut-throat to garbage collector. I don’t have any more answers than you do. The unfortunate thing that is very clear is that Yzerman doesn’t as well.
The red wings and Yzerman specifically, were forced to put a team on the ice for the last decade. No great players were interested in playing here and almost no good players either. They had no choice but to sign long term contracts with players like Copp and Compher and to continually sign one or two year deals with vets who were at the end of their careers or simply not very good. Now that their younger draft picks are ready to make the roster, they are still saddled with many of these bad players. Hamonic alone has lost 4-5 games for this team. Copp, Rasmussen, Compher, and a long list of defensemen like Hamonic, Holl, and Gustafson have handcuffed the team. They can’t send anymore of these guys down due to roster rules and therefore can’t insert their many other young draft picks who are ready to get their chance and are undoubtedly better than the veteran players they are stuck keeping in the lineup every game. Fortunately just about all those contracts end after this season. So as disappointing as it is, this is likely another season of getting close but falling short.