Todd McLellan has been behind the Detroit Red Wings bench since December 2024, when Detroit hired him in the middle of the 2024-25 NHL season. Detroit has missed the playoffs the last 10 seasons. They finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 41-31-10 record and 92 points.
The season begins Friday, Oct. 2, with puck drop set for 6:30 p.m. ET against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena. This team is ready to roll.
Todd McLellan Sends a Message to the Doubters
The Red Wings head coach is ready to go to war with his players for the first game of the season against the Rangers. With everything that has been going on this offseason, he has a message for the doubters out there.
Michael Whitaker of The Hockey News reported what McLellan said:
βWeβre the Detroit Red Wings, and that means something. We are an Original Six team, we have a lot of stuff going on around us, but weβre still the Detroit Red Wings. And if it doesnβt mean anything to me, or to the players in the locker room, or the trainers, or anyone else in the organization, then shame on them. They shouldnβt be part of it.β
Red Wings Open Without Larkin and Edvinsson
He is sending a loud and clear message to the fans and everyone in the locker room. Simon Edvinsson is currently not with the team because he is unsigned and back at home in Sweden. Dylan Larkin is out for the first two games with an upper-body injury and has also requested a trade. No matter who is in or out of the lineup, one thing is clear with McLellan: donβt mess with his team.
