James van Riemsdyk, Cam Talbot, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments @ TOR | Oct. 13, 2025

James van Riemsdyk, Cam Talbot, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments @ TOR | Oct. 13, 2025

You asked for a better debut, huh? Just the way things went all the way around. Yeah. You know what? I think um obviously everything I’ve been through in the last uh month or so here with the family stuff at home and um just how supportive the organization was, the guys in the team were and um just having my first game in a building like this that I have a lot of uh history in. Uh it was again pretty pretty fun to get back out there and um obviously a big win for the team. So uh so yeah, definitely uh one I’ll look back on the end of my career. That would be a pretty kind and a special one to think about. How good did it feel to win it, especially given a camp performance? Yeah, he was outstanding. He was obviously probably the biggest reason why we won the game, but um definitely not the blueprint, I don’t think, of how we want to win, but I think good teams find a way to win. And uh uh I think we’re doing a lot of little things, blocking shots, uh making smart plays with the puck when for the most part. And um yeah, again, you got to find ways to win when maybe uh you’re not carrying the game as much, but the the power play does a good job of getting off getting us off to a good start. So playing with the lead like that, I think makes a big difference in a game like this. The chemistry with your line tonight, how did you feel it went out there? Yeah, I thought it was pretty good. I thought um I think we all think the game pretty uh pretty similarly. I think we’re trying to play a simple, predictable game and uh just kind of uh play a lot of time in the offensive zone, but uh I thought we read off each other pretty well and um um yeah, I think uh definitely a good place to start from and uh we can we have definitely can get better though. How’d you feel out there? Um, okay. My my one of my first couple shifts, I maybe forgot I was on the uh the white team and passed a couple pizzas over to them. But after that, uh I felt better and better as the game went on. So, uh there’s obviously nothing quite like uh getting in the game action. So, hopefully I got a lot of those cobwebs out of the way and uh can be uh have a good place to start from and continue to build my game. Thanks, Shel. Just your thought on tonight’s win as a just grind one out. I mean, that’s what uh that’s what good teams do on the road and you know, we’ve uh put together a couple good ones here and you know, we knew this was going to be a tough one and we’re going to need everybody and um you know, you lose Ray at some point during the game and other guys have to step up and you throw uh you throw apps on that top line, he buries a big one for us with 45 seconds left. So, that’s how good teams win hockey games and we had contributions from everyone tonight. How’ you how’d you feel in there tonight? I mean, when you’re going like that, do you kind of you feel it? I mean, feel good way. Yeah, it felt good. I mean, from from the get-go, make a couple big stops early. Confidence grows, especially after last game. So, um I’m just trying to make the saves I’m supposed to make and uh give our team a chance to win. So, I feel like I was able to do that tonight. Do you at some point start realizing you made a ton of saves on Austin? How aware are you of who’s shooting? Fairly aware when it’s him. Yeah. Um yeah, there’s certain players that you’re always conscious of when they’re on the ice and they have a few of them, but obviously he’s one of the big ones. So, um, anytime he’s coming down, you know, just try to stay as patient as possible. Those guys can make you make you look pretty silly and, uh, I was trying to to not let him do that to me tonight. How nice was it to see a fellow 30 something come through with the goal in his debut for the team? That’s always nice. I didn’t know he had those wheels left in him. So, it was nice to see him get a big uh big goal in this building. So, well out there. I don’t believe we talk about that a lot, but just despite the barrage of shots, your your line on Yeah, and I give our deal a lot of credit tonight. Uh we got burned a couple times through traffic last game and we emphasized uh boxing out tonight and I was able to see uh you know, almost everything from the point through the and uh from the flanks and stuff like that. So, um give our guys a lot of credit. They did a good job of you know, meeting guys early before they got to the net and allowing me to to control the first shot. continue through every role there is league. So when they got gibby this summer, was it a mindset of I’ll just go in there when I asked and just do my job? Essentially, yeah. I mean, you bring in a guy like dad that’s, you know, quite a bit younger than me, you know, that’s uh probably not bringing them in to to not play. So, uh, my mindset was just be ready for whatever opportunities I get to play and and, uh, you know, push each other, you know, and I feel like I can still play at a high level and, uh, obviously so can he. That’s why we brought him in. So, I feel like this standing is going to be really good for us and I feel like the guys are going to be really confident with whoever’s in the net. Cam, what can you say about Jar’s been through off the ice and the fact that he makes his view and does it in that path? Yeah, I mean, he’s obviously been through a little bit here coming into training camp and um it’s not easy to miss training camp and then step right in like that. So, uh, give him a ton of credit for for coming in and catching up really quick. And, uh, you really expect nothing else from a veteran guy like that. He comes in, he he does all the right things, and he’s a guy that, uh, we’re going to need, uh, you know, throughout the season to put up big goals like that. And it’s nice to see him get one in this building. So, good Caledonia boy. Did you get a chance to uh have some Thanksgiving on this side of the border with your family? I didn’t know. Um, they were all at separate Thanksgivings kind of all over last night. So, I just had a Thanksgiving dinner with uh with Benny and Gibby last night and uh got some rest. And thank you. Well, we weren’t uh near as good as we were the other night, but I think the team wearing blue certainly uh played a better game and thought they were complete opposites. We uh you know, we couldn’t get ahead at all. We were always chasing the game um as they were the other night and and the quicker, harder, faster team hem the slower team in. Uh goalending was huge. Obviously, Telb’s uh superior effort in the in the pipes to give us even a chance to uh to find a way to some points. Uh but then still the resilience um you know, we gave up a two-goal lead and didn’t quit. It didn’t look like we were real polished, but we didn’t quit. Um that’s a good sign. What can you tell us about Lucas Raymond status? I can’t tell you much. Obviously, he didn’t return. Um we’ll have to get him home and evaluate him. We’ll know more uh tomorrow. Did he get banged up originally in the game Saturday and kind of played through it or was No, he was he was fine going in. It was in tonight’s game. Looked pretty innocent actually. So, we’ll see what comes out of it. What can you say about uh JVR having to go what he went through with his family and then he comes back in the first game for you guys scores a huge goal? Well, I think any player that’s playing what is 15, 16, 17 season, I don’t even know. There’s so many numbers there. um if you’re still playing, you’re you’re real committed to to the game, but what came first there was his family. Um our guys just all respected that and and we knew he needed the time, but he’s worked real hard since he’s been back here. Gave us a good solid 11 minutes tonight and you can see why he’s still in the league, those hands and the ability to uh to maybe outsmart a couple players. Everybody thought he was passing and uh put it in and we obviously needed that. You tried camp so many different stats, T. I mean, something like this probably doesn’t surprise you much. His ability to just come on in and get the job done the way he does. Well, you know, quite frankly, throughout training camp, after we got back from the red and white game, he’s played real solid. He’s looked good in practice. Uh, I think he’s fresh right now. And, um, sometimes the more action for him, the better. Uh, but he sure looked big. He looked calm. Um, you talk about game management, he got us some whistles down the stretch that we needed as well. He uh he was smart enough to to get the freeze and allow us to gather ourselves a little bit, gain uh gain our breath back and try and go play again. Cam said he didn’t think JVR had those kind of wheels left in him anymore on his goal. Well, we if he showed us those wheels once, we’re going to expect it every night now. So, he set the standard, but he he did skate well. There there are nights where coaches talk about the process and other nights where it’s just about the result. The perfect nights are when the two overlap. Tonight, you steal one. But how important is it in a long year where every point matters to have nights like today where you still win? Well, huge. We, you know, obviously our team has work to do. Um, you know, even after the game against Toronto the other night where I thought we played a real good game, we we still have work to do. We’re still evolving, playing three 20-year-olds in key situations, they’re going to gain some experience. Uh, but at the end of the year, if we’re where we want to be, um, there’s not going to be a lot of people uh talking about, well, you stole one in Toronto. It just goes into your bank. Uh but the fact that we did we’ll take it. What have you thought of Axel’s play through the first I’m sorry Axel Axe Axe have been fine like you know he had a turnover tonight but the the pace of the game sometimes and the the intensity may catch up to those kids a little bit but he’s been real good. He’s so smart. Um I think he broke up a play Matthews to Knlander off the side of the net. He just stepped up and he anticipated where that was going. Um real comfortable playing him. uh sometimes really hard on himself, which I don’t know if that’s good or bad right now, but heck of a player. What’s the challenge when you lose a player Lucas’s? I mean, the the role he plays on the top line in power play and Well, it’s it’s big. You could see our power play was a little um a little out of whack. The timing, the the sense of comfort of having him there uh was thrown out uh or off. I thought our penalty kill didn’t get affected much by it. It was pretty good. Uh but the the rolling of lines, Larks, I think Larks was in the box three times tonight. Um all of a sudden those two aren’t in the game for a lot of it. It’s a lot of pressure on some other players and Larks, especially in the third period, sat for four of the of the 20. So, um tough when you lose both of them. Uh really hard not having Razer, but we hope to get him back. Silent.

James van Riemsdyk, Cam Talbot, and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday October 13, 2025.