Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Dec. 16, 2025

Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Dec. 16, 2025

Uh Todd, uh is everybody available except for Kane and Appleton tonight? >> Yes. >> And uh Gibson, are you going back to him? >> Gibson. Yeah. >> Okay. And just uh yesterday with the the news that Burger was waved. Was it a case of a guy like that just not being able to crack the the top two lines on a consistent basis that that make him difficult to put in the lineup? You know, sometimes it it Bergie's a a real good hockey player. He's a good human being. And when opportunity dries up in one spot, you got to think about the individual a little bit, too. And um maybe he'll get an opportunity. We'll find out later today if somebody will will pick him up and give him an opportunity. and um you know, but he is um he's an offensive producing player that um you know, probably hasn't produced enough offense when we put him in the lineup. Um he's been somewhat reliable though defensively and sometimes these things just happen. Was there any thought to putting him? I know you guys called up John obviously, but to putting him in that spot uh with with >> Yeah, we had him we had him in uh in Edmonton when JVR uh backto-back games when JVR came out. So, he he did get his get an opportunity there. Not necessarily in that spot, but >> just the uh last two games against the Islanders, I think uh it was a combined 12-3 score. What have you learned the most about playing against the Islanders? And what can you do to especially turn the tables tonight? >> 122. It's worse than you made it out to be, but thank you. Um, well, they're, you know what, they're they're a really, really good hockey club. I think Patrick W has done a tremendous job. Their staff of getting them organized. the kids that have come in um you know obviously with Schaefer but Heinaman and and Holstrom's evolved um Shabbanov are like these these guys have made a huge difference to their team. They're getting some good goalending. They've won six of their last seven games. Three of those were against Colorado and they only gave up a combined three goals in those games. So that's how well they're playing. So, the first thing we have to do, and and there's no reason why we shouldn't be thinking that they're a really good hockey club after the the lick and they laid on us the last two times, is understand they play uh a very structured game all over the rink both offensively and defensively. And if you get loose, um they have guys that will make you pay for that. And we saw it not necessarily in the first game. We were we weren't any good in the first game, but the second one I thought we came to play and and all of a sudden you're down and you're chasing it and they play well enough defensively. So just understanding and respecting how good that team is will give us a head start on on where we've been the other two games against them. >> And then nine points for Alex to bring it on that six-game road trip and he's kind of putting himself into the conversation to potentially even be named to the uh USA Olympic roster. What is what has stood out the most about his performance maybe besides the offense? >> Well, the competitiveness again like um you know he plays in some tough situations. He plays against uh 6'4, 6'5 defenseman, the top pair some nights over and over and over again. And he remains competitive uh even when the gas tank's running on on empty, which it does sometimes, he brings it. And not just this trip, but just our, you know, our Trenton and my time here with the the Red Wings. Uh, we knew how or we had an idea how good Cat was. But he's really shown us more than than I would have known being in LA or San Jose or or Edmonton all those years, just how well he competes and yeah, his shot and offense and his mind and all that type of stuff, but just his competitiveness. Todd, sorry. I was looking at a stating the other day. I'm curious your thought on this. You guys are 11 and three when you get outshot. When you outshoot the other team, you're seven, eight and three. I'm just cur when besides just the answer of goalending, what are the things when you kind of look at that and when it comes to outshooting opponent or when you get outshot and the win loss on that? I was curious to get your thought on >> Yeah, sometimes the the mentality of the game changes a little bit. Um, we're probably not the only team that's that's in that situation. And if you get a lead, we saw it the other night in uh Chicago. I think we were outshot in the third period. They they have to throw everything they they can at you and they do. They pinch uh not they being Chicago, but the opponent pinches more. It can be reckless. It it sometimes doesn't matter going the other way if they're going to get themselves back into the game. So all of a sudden the volume of shots goes up and maybe our mentality is to um defend more or back off, which is not what we want. we want to defend well uh not more and not backing off. Uh but perhaps that happens um when you're leading. >> You mentioned it's something where you look at leaguewide. Is it something where is it something it can't just be this team, right? Like you look at other places you coach. Is that just something you kind of have to coach into guys of the defend well versus sitting back and everything? >> Yeah, it's you know the the over the years the game has changed. Um Pittsburgh the last two nights had three or four goal leads in the third period. We had one in um in Calgary the other day and momentum swings are huge and you can feel it. Um you know I don't even have the equipment on and I'm behind the bench. You can kind of feel it. You can feel it when it's going your way and you can feel it when it's going against you. And um good teams sustain it when they need it and good teams stall it or stop it when they need that stall or stop. And um you know the I can't explain why it happens, but I'm sure it's the mentality of um you know, you're in the boxing ring, you know, you haven't won the first nine rounds. I got to knock this guy out, so I'm swinging big and whatever happens to me happens to me. Um I think that's what the team that's losing uh what their approach is. Um so >> you talked yesterday about coming up on the one year since you took over. Obviously, the message at that time was a lot about playing instinctively and and not robotically. Now, I feel like we're hearing a little more game manage or a lot more game management. I know those two things aren't mutually exclusive, but how has that message from you evolved, do you think, in a year? >> Well, initially we had to um I think we talked about team spirit and and just playing a little more free and then we would work around um the mistakes and the structure. You can't put everything in in one day. Um, in fact, we're still working on stuff. Uh, but further down the road, which we are now, we can now um hold players a lot more accountable for for their responsibilities on the ice. Um um you know, positively and negatively. Are they getting the job done? Um you know, do our do our actions live up to our actions or or um inactions live up to what our stated goal is? Like I I've heard guys on our team, you know, we we have to make the playoffs. That's what we want to make. Well, do our actions live up to that night in and night out. Now, it's easier to hold them accountable for that. Um we can talk about it because we know the players. They know the structure we're trying to use. Um initially it wasn't that. It was play free. Let's find out what we have and we were trying to discover them. They were trying to figure us out too. Um that should we should be through that phase now. a kid like Schaefer for them, um there's so many more of these 18 and 19 year olds are coming in and making a big impact. Why do you are they just more physically and mentally prepared to do that these days? >> Well, they're the some of these guys are unicorns there. You know, not all of the 17 and 18 year old first rounders or top five picks are doing what uh Schaefer's doing or what Connor did or what Ekeel did. Um Connor Eel, McD or Connor Eel and uh Matthews, I think they went one, two, three. Um you know, one and two in one year and then one next. Made it hard on everybody. Uh because the next guy that came along, everybody just expected them to roll in and away you go. And and Schaefer's probably doing it now. He's that good. He's he's a unicorn. Um, and you know that that defenseman that goes in the top three or four this year, he's going to have, you know, that'll be the comparison. And it's never fair. Unicorns are unicorns. >> Um, how do you know that Gibson is feeling comfortable when you're watching him? More comfortable. Now here this >> um I think he's got control of the the blue paint now. What does that mean? He's he looks big, less rebounds. um you know, not not erratic, not all over the place. Um finding pucks through screens and and uh fighting to find it. Um and he's looked that way. He you know, when goalies are playing well, they just look bigger and they look bigger to the coaching staff, too. And um he's done a good job. >> Good.

Todd McLellan speaks with the media following Detroit’s morning skate at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday December 16, 2025.