Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings Coach Calls Out Top Line
Finnie replaced on unit by Kasper
Where do you start to dissect Saturday’s all-around debacle by the Detroit Red Wings in their 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins?
Coach Todd McLellan decided to start at the top. As in his top forward line.
Recently, their performance has left him wanting more. Much more.
“I didn’t think that line had anything going early in the game, and I’m not sure they had anything going in Pittsburgh, so we tried something different,” McLellan said.
"I've probably been thinking about [making the U.S. Olympic team] my whole life."
Dylan Larkin will live out his dreams with USA Hockey at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics 🤩 pic.twitter.com/aRZP8lMeZE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 3, 2026
During the game, he expressed his displeasure with the unit by dropping rookie Emmitt Finnie from the line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond in favor of Marco Kasper.
“Kasp, in the past, obviously, last year, he’s proven that he could handle it, so we made that move,” McLellan said.
It didn’t make any difference. Between them, Larkin (one), Finnie (one), Raymond (none), and Kasper (none) managed two shots. Each of the quartet who skated as part of that line finished the afternoon as minus players. Finnie was minus-three, while Raymond was minus-two. Larkin and Kasper were each minus one.
Red Wings’ Best Players Not Playing Their Best Game
Raymond has scored one goal over the past 15 games. His last three goals all came on the power play. He hasn’t scored 5-on-5 since November 29.
Larkin has three goals in 12 games. Of his last six goals, the Detroit captain has scored twice on the power play and twice into an empty net.
Finnie has four goals over his last 23 games. Since the end of November, he’s accounted for only two even-strength points.
McLellan doesn’t see the unit doing the things that were making them such a successful line earlier in the season.
“There’s a lot of skating going on right now just for checking purposes,” McLellan said. “Their extended cycle time, their extended O-zone time where they gain energy, they don’t expend energy, is not there right now, and they’ve got to get that back.”
That old saying about a team’s best players needing to be their best players came to mind. And the best player on the ice was a shining example of that analogy.
Can we talk about how much Sid is taking Emmitt Finnie to school in this back-to-back @HunterHodies
— ARAnalytics (@ARAnalytics) January 3, 2026
“(Pittsburgh captain) Sidney Crosby, I think, was plus four or five in this series,” McLellan said. “He scored the first two goals the other night, and was on the ice for the first one tonight.
That happens.”
McLellan knows that his top line carried the team to much of its early success. He needs to see that level of contribution again being delivered by his key talent.
“We have had real good nights where our best players have been better than the other teams,” McLellan said. “So I’m not letting anybody off the hook.
“We’ll see how we respond.”
Not to 2’nd guess TM because he is a good coach but you have to wonder if it was a good move putting Kasper on the top line to get it going. Enough of this Kasper experiment, send him down and be done with it. Give Leonard or MBN a chance with Larkin and Raymond.
Agreed Obie, Leonard first and eventually MBM> I want him playing every night in GR right now.
Amen Obie!
This is a never-ending bad dream we can’t wake up from. Send Raymond as well, put half the Wings team on the bus to Grand Rapids and bring the Griffins to Detroit if that group can play even half as good as Leonard what have we got to lose.
Todd must be pulling his hair out, the game in Washington was a team on fire, skating, attaching, forechecking, SOG, they looked like a real playoff team. What has happened since then is a mystery.
If this nonsense keeps up, we are in trouble. It will be an even decade out of the playoffs…
PBB
Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Kasper playing on the top line. I know they were being shut down but did you really think that goal-less Wonder was going to help them? That guy doesn’t belong in the NHL right now, let alone on the top line.
The general manager and his pal Draper are being stubborn about their ‘prize’ draft pick Kasper. I’m sorry but right now the guy is a complete waste of a roster spot. There is a handful of guys inGrand Rapids who would work their tail off to get his opportunity and quite frankly deserve it a lot more than this guy. The general manager and his ‘super scout’ Draper must swallow their pride and demote their prize. Kasper is not NHL caliber right now for sure… just look at his stats.
Asking Yzerman to swallow his pride is like asking a house fly to swallow a horse. Look how long he held on to Lalond before he had no choice but to make a move. Certainly costed us a post season spot the year we had 91 pts.
Funny. I said as much the other day and the posters here were were up in arms.
I hear that I’ve been pointing it out about Kasper for a couple of months and everybody down votes it. You have to wonder what they’re watching eh?.
You certainly have as well as myself. Don’t worry about those down votes. A red 6 for instance simply means 6 idiots red your post and could not process what you wrote.
It’s “read”. Who’s the idiot?
I see I flushed out 1 idiot. That red as in giving a red # went right over your head, didn’t it. Next time I’ll explain it to you
Does anyone think it will help Kasper if he plays on the top line? It sounds like coach T wants them producing more. Yes, I know Marco has not produced much at all otherwise. But if they are not going to send him down, then move him around I guess to the top line.