Todd McLellan remains tight-lipped on one key opening night aspect for the Detroit Red Wings
Photo credit: NHL.com
The Detroit Red Wings' opening night is on October 9th, against the Montreal Canadiens in Little Caesars Arena; what kind of line should we expect when Todd McLellan stays tight-lipped on this topic?
The Detroit Red Wings training camp is poised to be competitive this year.
Lineup choices will have to be made, and with Todd McLellan at the helm for a new season, what should we expect?
You would think a coach like him would be open about his line choices and pairings, but for answers on that topic, we're all in the dark.
That includes the media, which tried to pick his brain.
Though we'd assume that Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, and Marco Kasper would remain together as they did during the split-squad rosters, nothing is guaranteed, according to McLellan.
"I think Cat and Kaner have that instinctive, 'I know where you are, I know where you're going to release the puck' relationship," McLellan said. "They've played together long enough and they think the same way. Shoot, pass, or playmaker, whatever you want to call each of them."
The duo of Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane played together in Chicago before they'd both be shipped out in 2022 and 2023. The chemistry remains in Detroit, as part of the team's top-six.
Kasper's story is of someone who worked his way up the depth charts into a regular spot in Detroit. He'd center both DeBrincat and Kane on the 2nd line last season.
While Kasper, Kane, and DeBrincat all complement each other and could be a fixture in the 2025-26 lineup, coach McLellan remains tight-lipped about his plans with the opening night roster.
"Are we going to start with them Opening Night? I can't tell you that, we have three and a half weeks to go, and we'll figure all of that out when Opening Night rolls around," McLellan said.
The Detroit Red Wings desperately need all four lines to start producing on a consistent basis.
The 2nd line was one unit that McLellan should consider keeping together, as Kasper can continue to develop, centering two of the best Red Wings forwards.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 18 | 475 ANSWERS Todd McLellan remains tight-lipped on one key opening night aspect for the Detroit Red Wings Do you think the Detroit Red Wings' 2nd-line featuring forward Alex DeBrincat, forward Patrick Kane, and center Marco Kasper sticks together? | ||
| Yes | 349 | 73.5 % |
| No | 126 | 26.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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