The sputtering Detroit Red Wings have made a move, as the team announced that both head coach Derek Lalonde and associate coach Bob Boughner have been relieved of their duties.
Todd McLellan has been named the 29th head coach in franchise history, returning to an organization where he served as an assistant coach from 2005-08. After winning a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008 (‘member when we did those?), he served as bench boss for the San Jose Sharks (2008-15), Edmonton Oilers (2015-18) and Los Angeles Kings (2019-24). He’s been out of the picture for just under a year, departing Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2024.
There is plenty of analysis to come, but it felt like pressure was mounting for the Red Wings to do something. In his first two seasons with the team, it felt like Derek Lalonde was guiding the ship in the right direction, getting more offense out of a roster that has struggled to score for the better part of a decade, and helping Detroit get within a hair of a playoff berth last season.
It may have been the way they got there that created an unrealistic expectation, though, as the late-season theatrics in 2023-24 were on the back of many late-game comebacks. It never felt like they had a playoff-caliber defense, and got by on either strong goaltending or a big offensive night. That led to some underlying numbers that suggested the team may not have been as good as its standings position indicated, and that has proved true so far this season.
Certainly, I don’t place the blame solely on the coaching staff. The Red Wings have not gotten enough out of their free-agent pick-ups in particular, and their efforts to improve defensively over last year have led to mixed results (fewer goals against, but a much worse PK) and have absolutely cost them offensively. Where last year a two- or even three-goal deficit felt achievable, this team has often looked defeated once they go down early, regularly struggling to crack 20 shots on goal and looking overmatched against teams that should be beatable — most recently Montreal and St. Louis.
All of this is to say, this isn’t necessarily going to turn things around, but sometimes teams just need a new voice, a more disciplined approach — whatever it may be — to turn a season around. And while things feel dire currently sitting two points from the Eastern Conference’s basement, they remain just eight points out of a playoff spot, so any hopes of salvaging the season will come from the team finding its footing within the next couple of weeks.
As for McLellan, Red Wings fans should be somewhat familiar, given his ties to the organization and long-time presence as a head coach for other teams. They’ve signed him to a multi-year deal, so this doesn’t appear to be an interim situation — McLellan is the coach until they decide otherwise. Working in his favor is that his teams have typically been very good during the regular seasons — he’s made the playoffs in nine of his 14 seasons.
He has a reputation as more of a defensive-minded coach, but his teams have all been high-scoring at different points in his tenure. He’s typically deployed a 1-3-1 system against the forecheck to limit rush chances against, but I’ve always felt his teams aren’t just sitting back either and play fairly aggressively. Time will tell if that is his plug-and-play answer, or if he comes up with a structure based on the personnel already in place.
The secondary announcement made by the team was that Trent Yawney will replace Bob Boughner on the bench, presumably overseeing the penalty kill, with Alex Tanguay remaining in charge of the power play. Yawney brings 12 years of experience as a player, and has worked with McLellan on and off throughout their coaching careers, but was on his bench in San Jose (2008-11), Edmonton (2018-19) and Los Angeles (2019-24), in addition to spells as head coach of the Norfolk Admirals (2000-05; 2012-14), Chicago Blackhawks (2005-07) and Syracuse Crunch (2011-12) and four years as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks (2014-18).
Let’s hear in the comments whether you think the timing was right, whether you like the hire and what you’re expecting from a McLellan-led team.
