The Detroit Red Wings suffered a shutout loss to open their 2026-27 season, and head coach Todd McLellan was not impressed.
While there were bright spots like Anton Johansson’s solid play in his NHL debut, the Wings looked broken as a unit in the third period. And McLellan made sure everyone knew the standard following the game.
Via NHL.com’s Dave Hogg, McLellan said, “We’re going to have to score some goals to win games. We had some good looks, but not nearly enough. The players here have to understand that – we can’t rely on 3-4 guys.”
That first part was obvious, and that last part was the blunt truth. Leave the offensive production up to a few players, and you will get shut out multiple times a season. It’s a tough lesson for the Red Wings, who didn’t impress in 2025-26 after finishing 22nd in scoring with one of the worst 5-on-5 units in hockey.
Up-And-Comers Stepped Up For The Red Wings
Of their 22 shots on goal, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Marco Kasper recorded seven of them. The problem? The two were on the ice for just 9:39 and 10:50, respectively. Even if someone new to the game stumbled on those numbers, they would immediately see the issue.
“Three to four guys” is one thing, but with nearly one-third of all shots on goal coming from two lower liners despite their potential, it’s another. The rest of the Red Wings forwards recorded a total of nine shots.
That said, there was one more bright spot, and it was Lucas Raymond. Raymond, known for being selective with his shots, was the only other Red Wings forward to record multiple shots on goal in Friday’s loss.
Meanwhile, Alex DeBrincat, who is known for shooting the puck often, had just one in 19:43 of ice time. His performance, more than any other in the forward group, must get better if the Red Wings plan on showing more viable offense this season.
Detroit’s Youth Movement Provided The Bright Spots On Friday
Ironically, most of the veterans failed to step up and play their best games. Brandsegg-Nygard and Kasper showed a willingness to shoot the puck — Kasper had a particularly entertaining night with a fight highlighting the festivities.
At the blue line, Anton Johansson impressed and had a deflected shot that nearly found twine. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who played over two-thirds of the 2025-26 season with the Red Wings, was yet another youngster who logged multiple shots.
Emmitt Finnie and Nate Danielson each had one shot, with Danielson also seeing under 10 minutes of ice time. In short, the younger players fans have been waiting to develop showed up and logged half of Detroit’s shots on goal — over half if you count all players in their age-24 season and under.
Now, the pressure is on the veterans, especially solid scorers like Viktor Arvidsson, Alex DeBrincat, and defenseman Justin Faulk. If the veterans get their act together, then we will see less of Todd McLellan stating the obvious, yet painful truth. The Red Wings will have a chance to get it together on Sunday when they host the Winnipeg Jets.
Todd McLellan Sends Clear Message to Red Wings After Shutout Loss