Lucas Raymond, Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Nov. 26, 2025

Lucas Raymond, Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Nov. 26, 2025

You said you liked the way you guys played in the third period, but the first two, what kind of happened to allow them to get that lead early and you guys having to play catch up the rest of the night? Yeah, I mean, I think uh it was a lot self-inflicted from from our part. I think we had a lot of good stretches during the game where we we created especially a lot of offense and uh and gained a lot of momentum. So, um you know, we’ll try to take that and clean up a couple things. Thanksgiving Eve tonight, this has been a tradition here, I guess. What have you appreciated most about playing with this organization? Some of the long-standing traditions that have been here? Yeah, it’s awesome. You know, um obviously the energy in this building every night is is amazing and and uh to add that on with these these special occasions, it adds a little bit extra. And uh as a European, as a street coming over here and learning about all the tradition and and how big it is over here, it’s uh it’s amazing to see and uh you know, something you just uh go along with and and and adapt to. Have you become a big Thanksgiving uh um I mean both yes or no. I like the food. Uh but um it’s obviously pretty new, but but I like it. Yeah. Are you like either you or anybody else in here maybe attending the Lions game tomorrow? Yeah, I’ll be there. Uh you know, Mo’s Mo will be there. Uh a couple other guys as well. So, uh I think that’s an awesome tradition as well. And uh we went last year, so look to keep that going this year. Become a big football fan since you’ve gotten here. Yeah. Yeah. When I came here, I didn’t know anything about football, but now obviously being here for a while, I’ve grown to like it a lot. Um, you know, soccer back home is probably still number one, but uh football’s probably a close second. Okay. So, if you were a football player, I guess, what position would you play? Oh, um, I’d like to think, uh, something offensively, maybe a wide receiver, running back, something. Okay. Yeah. Thanks, Ray. Great. Well, Todd, happy early Thanksgiving. Yeah. to to everybody as well. Um, no JT Confer and Simon Edmonson out on the ice today. Simon won’t play again. Um, and JT will be a game time decision. Is it was there an effect of um something that happened in the Devils game for JT? No. Uh, same flu bug type thing that’s that’s got Simon now. And then some of the frustration that was boiling over at the end of the Devils game. Do you kind of hope to use some of that emotion maybe towards coming out just with a strong overall effort uh tonight in this game? Uh again, I I’ve talked about this before. I I I don’t believe that anything carries over from game to game. We start another night tonight and um we know we’re in for a for a tough game. Uh both teams are desperate for wins and um you know, this is its own event. It starts all over. Um, Nashville has no input into what happened in New Jersey and we have no input to what happened in uh in Nashville the other night with their their last game. Two new teams, new event, come and play. I’m sure they will. There’s been a lot of talk about the rookies this season, their impact, but just the vets, too. What have they brought to the group and especially off the ice behind the scenes? Well, it it we’re called a team for a reason. And that means we’ve got uh a whole bunch of different types of personalities, a whole bunch of different ages, and a different level of experience. And the only way it works is if there’s support up and down the ladder. Um, and we have talked a lot about the u the younger players in our in our lineup, whether it’s the rookies or even secondyear players. Um, and there’s some that are having real good runs. There’s others that are struggling, and that’s that’s inevitable. That’s evolution. Uh but on on the back side, you see some of the veterans that are uh are trying to help out, lend a helping hand both physically and mentally. And usually it’s that second part that is u is taxing for some younger ones. And uh they they’ve done a real good job and they’ve been supportive. So we’re happy about that part. Uh Todd, you got the uh the goal the last game from JVR. Something that you needed uh some some support from for the top line that’s been doing most of the damage. Uh just uh how important is it just to get even a little bit of contribution from some of those other guys that have struggled to to score? Well, we talked last week about this. It’s uh I think I use the words it’s a must or it’s essential, one of those two, but take your pick. Um it’s it’s virtually impossible to run three or four players all year from an offensive perspective and expect to uh u you know to get to the promised land. you need um run support. And um JVR, I thought he had his best game um in a long time or maybe even as a Redwing the other night in in Jersey. He played real well. Uh that that unit uh has been effective in their ice time and getting pucks to the net. So he did what he does real well in and around the net and we could use more of that certainly. Yeah, when you look at a team like Nashville, so many established stars, I mean, when you see that this is it kind of a scary team to play in that sense, and they they could probably get it on track at any point here, I guess. Um, you know, I I don’t know that. That’s a great question for Brew. Um, we have our own um you know, our own guys here that we’re waiting to break out to answer uh question. So, I’m not too worried about what they have or don’t have. Uh, we’ve got to get our guys going and um make sure that they’re cont they are contributing to to the team. Todd Patrick’s closing in on some pretty big milestones. I know you’ve coached several Hall of Famers. Is there anything about him that you’ve found to be really unique to him? Um, you know, what what differentiates him from those others? There’s there’s not a a lot. They all have certain like these these photogenic memories. They can remember plays from from a long time ago and tell you exactly maybe who was on the ice or um you know that type of scenario and how it happened. I know when Wayne was around us in in um Edmonton, it was it was not ironic, it was like almost spooky how well he could replay situations over and over again. And if you went back and watched it, it was like he’s he was doing playbyplay 25 years ago. Ken Cal Jr., you know, so I think Kainer has that. He sees things. Um the other night in New Jersey, we had um an initial face off six on five and he felt that he saw something and lo and behold, he was you know he was right. Tangs had it set up on the on the um uh you know on the bench and in during the timeout but uh their vision is really unique over and above all the passion and the love for the game and all that type of stuff that we’ve talked about uh endlessly. But that’s that’s a real good trait of of Keners, but it’s the same as as these special players. Maybe vision applies to this as well. You talk about a player and Cam’s got nine wins. It’s like I think Cam’s top five or six in the league in wins right now for goalies. When you look at kind of his evolution and there’s for a goalie to last that long, there’s no surprises in his game, right? Like every like everyone knows what Cam Talbot is. It’s there’s there’s a book out on goalies, right? We hear about that all the time. When you look at Cam in particular, seeing him now versus maybe a little bit earlier. What about his game allows him to continue to evolve and be as successful as he’s been? I think, and I’ve been lucky enough to be around him with three different teams in and basically a decade or more. Um I think that Talbs is much stronger between the years now. Um it’s water off his back. I think that he uh really has always been a really fit guy, but he takes care of himself well and his practice practice habits. He he works hard. He really does. And um you know, I don’t know if there’s a lesson. The longer you go, the harder you have to work just to stay relevant maybe. Is that is there something to it? I don’t know. But his work ethic is real strong. So, um provided him with longevity. Do you think there’s any

Lucas Raymond and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s morning skate on Wednesday November 26, 2025.