Red Wings Two Truths and a Lie: Olympians, McLellan, and More

The Red Wings have been battling it out in the tightest division race in hockey. Last year the team had a strong 10-3-1 record in January and have managed to stay in one of the top spots in the division so far this year. They face a tough schedule ahead, but for now, let’s see how they’ve developed since the last edition of Two Truths and a Lie.

Truth 1: Todd McLellan has the Wings’ looking the best they have in over a decade

While the team shouldn’t be counting their chickens quite yet, for the moment Detroit sits in a playoff spot at first in the Atlantic standings. They face one of the hardest strength of schedules to close out the season, but this is a Red Wings team that hasn’t lost back to back games in regulation since November. Head coach Todd McLellan has his players playing some of the best hockey of their lives, and the Red Wings free agents from this past offseason are (mostly) making significant contributions.

McLellan’s experience shows itself most clearly in how he manages his team. He’s been unafraid to shake up the Red Wings lines to try and find the right combination of players at the right time in the season, and he’s been able to keep the team from repeating the same mistakes they may have made earlier in the year, or under previous coaching regimes. It just can’t be said enough how different this time looks and feels under McLellan.

Lie: The Red Wings are sending their best player to the Olympics

The Red Wings have three Olympic representatives this year, four if you count Eduards Tralmaks from the Griffins. Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Mo Seider will be representing their respective countries this year in February on the ice in Milan. A notable omission from that Olympic roster, and puzzling considering how great of a season he’s having, is Alex DeBrincat.

DeBrincat currently tops the Red Wings goal scoring list with 25 and sits just two points behind Raymond’s 52 points with 25 assists to cap out at 50 so far this season. He’s tied for 5th place on the NHL’s goals leaderboard and is one of only three players at the right wing position in the top 20. It’s the best the Cat has looked in a Red Wings uniform, and it’s unfortunate that the Red Wings won’t be sending him to Italy while he’s having a career season for them.

Also, if you’re going to send an older forward who struggles with injuries to the Olympics this year, why was it JT Miller and not Patrick Kane?

If Team USA wants to be recreating the “Miracle on Ice” team by filling spots based on a role, to create a great story, Kane’s status as the 5th American player to score 500 goals and as one of the best American-born players of all time should have more than qualified him. And while he’s been injured this season and hasn’t looked like his prime, he still has 28 points in 32 games. Miller has fewer points (26) in more games (39) and while the Rangers captain can’t be faulted for the team’s struggles, nor his while recovering from injury, his selection to the Olympic roster is puzzling considering his production this year combined with the fact that he is recovering from an injury.

Truth 2:  The Red Wings future in net looks bright

While the Red Wings haven’t really drafted a starting caliber goalie since Petr Mrazek, Detroit’s current prospect pipeline in net may very well be the best in the NHL. Sebastian Cossa has been playing like a demon in net, leading the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 29-3-2-1record. Cossa has been responsible for 17 of more than half the Griffins’ wins, with a 17-2-2 personal record while being backstopped by Michal Postava and Carter Gylander.

Postava is the Red Wings “guy” after being signed overseas from the Czech Liiga this offseason and he’s posted a 5-1-0 record in his first North American season. However, an injury earlier this season had Gylander promoted from the Toledo Walleye and the organization’s longest tenured goalie had a 6-0-1 record while playing for Grand Rapids.

That’s all before mentioning Trey Augustine, who’s been put on the watchlist for the Richter Award, given to the NCAA’s most outstanding goalie in the country. Augustine was a finalist for the award in 2025, and currently has a 13-5-0 record with a 1.72 GAA. That’s just the top four, with two more of their recently drafted netminders still yet to play college hockey in Michal Pradel and Rudy Guimond, both having excellent seasons in the USHL and QMJHL.