Red Wings 2026 April Game Thread

[lordstanley]

I’m not reading too much into Soderblom’s Pittsburgh stats, that could easily level off next season, but FWIW he is 4G 4A 8Pts in 16GP for the Pens plus the fight that went viral, compared to 2G 1A 3Pts in 39GP with the Wings. 

[lordstanley]

In 10G starting March 1st, Larkin has one 5 on 5 point, an assist yesterday. Since January 1, in 29 GP, he has 3G 7A at 5 on 5. 

[gehringer_2]

49 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

There is too much of a culture of not making mistakes and not enough of a culture of playing with 100% effort on every shift.

I can see that having been the case if Yzerman pushed that view with inexperienced head coaches like Blashill and LaLonde but I have a hard time believing a coach with McLellan's experience is taking his coaching cues from a GM whose never coached, or that Yzerman would even be dumb enough try and tell McLellan how to coach. But something sure is wrong,

I come back the idea that it's just the way the FO has been constructing the team. We've said it before but there is too much preference for a type of forward who needs support from bigger stronger guys to flourish, or at least guys who are better at forechecking and chasing down pucks (like Glendenning, Bertuzzi - OK I'll forgive moving Bertuzzi, he was a head case, but they didn't replace what he was providing), but they never get those guys, or have let them go, or don't like them when they do get them (Soderblom?).  It's seem impossible to be true but I have to question whether SY actually has a concept of how to put different kinds of players together to get synergy or if he's just too stuck on chasing best available talent even when it results in a team that has glaring imbalance.

Edited 1 hour ago by gehringer_2

[gehringer_2]

11 minutes ago, lordstanley said:

In 10G starting March 1st, Larkin has one 5 on 5 point, an assist yesterday. Since January 1, in 29 GP, he has 3G 7A at 5 on 5. 

I will predict that the day after the season sends the story will come out about a sports hernia suffered at the olympics.....

[Jason_R]

4 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I can see that having been the case if Yzerman pushed that view with inexperienced head coaches like Blashill and LaLonde but I have a hard time believing a coach with McLellan's experience is taking his coaching cues from a GM whose never coached, or that Yzerman would even be dumb enough try and tell McLellan how to coach. But something sure is wrong,

I come back the idea that it's just the way the FO has been constructing the team. We've said it before but there is too much preference for a type of forward who needs support from bigger stronger guys to flourish, or at least guys who are better at forechecking and chasing down pucks (like Glendenning, Bertuzzi)), but they never get those guys, or have let them go, or don't like them when they do get them (Soderblom?).  It's seem impossible to be true but I have to question whether SY actually has a concept of how to put different kinds of players together to get synergy or if he's just stuck on chasing best available talent even when it results in a team that has glaring imbalance.

I agree with your first paragraph but I still think something isn't adding up. McLellan has gone further than I've ever seen a head coach go in calling out his players for lack of effort and heart. But it hasn't amounted to anything. I don't know, maybe it is as simple as the young kids see veteran players who aren't producing getting pencilled into the lineup every night, so the young kids internalize that there is no room for them to "win" a job, they just have to not lose one.

I'm not sure about the roster construction. Yes, the team has relied on a lot of smaller players, but the team has some big players who just play small. Yes, Soderblom, also Rasmussen. But they have plenty of guys who are big enough to finish checks and just don't. 

There is clearly a culture issue. I'm only half joking here, but I think Mac should bring in Dan Campbell for the exit interviews because this team is missing grit. 

[gehringer_2]

59 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

But they have plenty of guys who are big enough to finish checks and just don't. 

I guess the very fact that Ras is still on the team is a reason I despair about their concept of what a team should look like. And I don't even care that much about 'finishing checks'. The game is almost too fast to spend too much effort on that. There's a place for it but too much time spent trying to line guys up for the big finish can just get you left behind trying to make a big hit when the play has already crossed the line away from you. What I do want to see is way more aggression pursuing the puck. Just to go back to Rasmussen and Solderblom  - guys skate past Ras unaccosted up the side boards constantly, it's like he's not even there when a guy rushes past him. Soderblom was miles better at least at that skill, guys could seldom just blow by him. So when I say there are skillsets they just don't seem to look for (care about?), it's that kind of thing.

Edited 34 minutes ago by gehringer_2