Red Wings' decision to replace Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan already paying off

The Detroit Red Wings might've narrowly missed out on the 2023-24 NHL playoffs, but with how they finished that regular season combined with a solid roster, there was reason to believe they'd break their near decade-long streak of missing the playoffs in the 2024-25 campaign. They even added guys like Vladimir Tarasenko, Cam Talbot, and Erik Gustafsson to try and fortify their roster further. Unfortunately, their start to the season left a lot to be desired.

Detroit went 13-17-4 in its first 34 games, sitting towards the bottom of the NHL standings. In a last-ditch effort to try and turn things around, the Red Wings fired head coach Derek Lalonde and hired Todd McLellan to take his place. A 5-2 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs in McLellan's first game suggested nothing would change, but their play ever since has them right back in the mix for the playoffs.

Detroit has won each of its last seven games, improving to 20-18-4 on the year. There's more work to be done, but this winning streak has the team just two points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and Detroit has a game in hand. The Red Wings also trail the Tampa Bay Lightning by just five points in the race for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Whether they actually make the playoffs remains to be seen, but they're playing better hockey now under McLellan than they did with Lalonde all season long.

Red Wings decision to replace Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan couldn't have been more right

At the time of Lalonde's firing, the Red Wings ranked in the bottom five in the NHL, averaging just 2.56 goals per game. This was one season removed from the Red Wings ranking within the top ten of the NHL by scoring 3.35 goals per game. They went from having one of the most dynamic offenses to one of the worst offenses in the sport despite running back virtually the same roster and adding Vladimir Tarasenko to their top six. Since the firing, they've averaged 4.1 goals per game. They've scored fewer than three goals just once, and that was the only game they've lost in McLellan's short tenure.

Perhaps the most encouraging part about this streak has been the emergence of Patrick Kane. The Red Wings brought the 36-year-old back this past offseason after he averaged nearly a point per game with the team last season, but Kane had just five goals and 14 points over his first 29 games of this season. He went pointless in McLellan's debut, but has five goals and 13 points during Detroit's seven-game winning streak. He has nearly matched his season totals prior to McLellan's hiring in roughly a quarter of the games. He's been the NHL's points leader in that span.

Sometimes, coaches are scapegoated as a way for a general manager to avoid taking criticism. That wasn't this. The Red Wings had far more talent than their record showed, and their emergence under McLellan proves that. In this circumstance, all Red Wings fans can wonder is why Lalonde wasn't fired earlier.