Quick Hits: The Necessary Change Edition

Red Wing’s rumble

Good morning and happy Friday everyone. Hopefully everyone had a nice holiday.

What should we talk about? Hmmm… World Juniors? The return of Red Wings hockey tonight? A new coach? WAIT WHAT!?

Yes, you probably know by now, but Steve Yzerman shocked the world yesterday with some abrupt changes to his coaching staff. Derek Lalonde and Bob Boughner are out, Todd McLellan and Trent Yawney are in. The signs had been clear for Lalonde for some time. Hell, most of us wanted him fired when Jim Montgomery was kicked out by the Bruins. The Wings have clearly fallen short of expectations this season, and it shows in their record: 13-17-4. Completely unacceptable for a squad like this and for a team that was so close to a playoff spot last season. What’s really funny is that I’m not even a big fan of McLellan as a coach, but I know he will be an improvement. He has the necessary experience and a sense of responsibility is definitely there now.

Speaking of accountability, when the layoff was officially announced yesterday, the first thing I thought of was how big of a message was sent from the front office to the locker room. Guys, the Red Wings just don’t fire coaches in the middle of the season. It’s not in the franchise’s DNA. In fact, Jeff Marek pointed out a fun little fact about this very topic. The Ilitch family has only fired a coach mid-season TWICE since purchasing the team in the early 1980s. So reading between the lines, it’s pretty clear that Steve Yzerman is firing a bit of a warning shot to players. The message is simple: clean up this mess. Now it’s up to you. Otherwise, we will consider other drastic improvement measures. However, I still think it is necessary to make some changes to this squad as soon as possible. There are too many poorly performing players who have developed a distinct sense of complacency. I hope Yzerman is prepared for this too.

I’m glad that happened. It had to. Lalonde was lost and this team isn’t good enough to hide that. These players need an experienced leader who has done this before. We’ll hear from McLellan and Yzerman later today. Keep an eye on the team’s official YouTube page and social media.

Alright, more news. World Juniors! The tournament is underway and went off with a bang thanks to Detroit’s most sought-after talent, Axel Sandin-Pellikka. ASP, who took over as captain, shone with a hat-trick and the first assist in the opening game of the tournament between Sweden and Slovakia. A bunch of teenagers playing hockey, sure, but it was a masterclass in offensive play D:

Meanwhile, Team USA defeated Germany in the second WJC game yesterday. Trey Augustine (2023 second-rounder), one of the best goalie prospects in all of hockey, had a somewhat “off” day, allowing four goals. Striker Max Plante (2024 second-rounder) also plays for the USA and received an assist in this game.