Red Wings shouldn’t be ‘trying to extract competitiveness’ out of players
March 30, 2026
I agree, the coach shouldn't even have to address this to anyone on that team.
28 comments
damning statement about the team.
It’s time to strip some letters. Mo to the C, Cat and Dylan as As. It’s not unprecedented and is completely warranted after these collapses.
DeBrincat should be the captain with Mo as an A
Raymond doesn’t look like he cares often
Larkin can’t get people to care
Chiarot looks like he tries even if he’s an idiot often maybe give him the other A?
Teams are going on winning streaks and making a push for the playoffs while this team is still messing around with lines and talking about being competitive. Even if they make the playoffs, they won’t have deserved it.
Eh, the pressure of getting into the playoffs after a long drought isn’t easy to deal with. It’s on the team to hire the best sports psychs. We just watched SO many elite athletes fail to medal at the Olympics because they couldn’t handle the pressure.
Kane sounds as good as gone in that second half of the article
They’re paid millions to compete.
Embarrassing for professional players to have to be scolded for not trying. What is this, the NBA?
Im losing faith in Larkin to represent what the C stands for
This sure sounds like a shot fired at McLellan from Kaner. I’ve long wondered what the hell the disconnect is— how do you have the four nations and Olympic team raving about Larkin as a key leader in the locker room, a coach who is known/shown he can rally the troops, some solid veterans, and still have so many people playing without urgency? Well maybe Todd isn’t the hard ass in the locker room that he is on the media stand. I should say I love the Toddfather and he’s the first coach we’ve had in a decade I felt like could actually get us somewhere. But I’m just trying to make sense of all this.
I think too many players on the roster know that even if they would get traded they just end up somewhere else and sometimes even somewhere better.
I’m not one to draw “unacceptable” lines, but it’s absolutely unacceptable for this team to tune out *another* coach in March. Look inward.
I think there’s a lot of ingrained losing in the room, but there’s also the fact that we’ve hired 3 coaches in a row who suppress team offense in favor of defense. Maybe it’s what the Wings need right now, but I can’t help but wonder if a more inspired hire (someone like Carberry) would unlock a little more potential from this team. Of course, amazing coaches don’t just fall out of the sky and Newsy was a new name, but Todd sure did feel uninspired.
Probably time to just cut our losses and trade everybody on the roster age 25 and older and start over. And I mean EVERYBODY….
Reading Kane’s comments really suck. We all love Todd but that’s a pretty damning statement.
I think we continue to find a million ways to overcomplicate a talent deficient roster. The fact is we play at Vancouver level when Mo isn’t on the ice. We are a bad team with a top 5 defenseman in the league carrying the entire org on his back and a goalie having an unrepeatable good season at his age.
This team needs more talent. Period. End of story. No amount of try hard can fix that.
The bashing of Larkin in here is INSANE.
“The team doesn’t go to bat for him/doesn’t seem to love him.” – Perron saw red and almost killed an innocent guy he thought hurt Larkin. Cat literally fought a dude for him a few games ago. Watch the podcasts and social posts. Razor and others love him.
“He can’t get the guys motivated.” You can take a horse to water, you can’t make him drink. He can try to motivate guys all he wants, but if they don’t want to respond to it, that’s a THEM issue. He’s even called out Steve in the media trying to get dudes in here.
“Strip him of the C.” – NO. Want to make him give up on management and the team? Go for it. Give it to Mo. Nothing changes in that locker room. It’s a patch on a jersey.
Todd is literally going to the media with “play effing hockey” and “bunch of jerseys.” If you don’t respond to that, you don’t belong on a pro roster. This is because anyone not named Larkin (yes), Raymond, Cat, Kaner (all things considered), Mo, Ed, and arguably Finnie even with his -9 are not producing to expectation and go games with being invisible.
Anyone find Kanes comment there a little worrisome about the state of the locker room?
How troubling
Clearly this is Ken Holland’s fault
It’s time to take the C off Larkin’s jersey. He’s a very good player that should just be allowed to play his game. If you look at last game stats, Seider played 28 minutes, Cat 22. It’s clear who Todd trusts. I’ve never seen minutes that high for a D or F for wings. Set Larkin free or this stink may never wash off, Fans forget nobody wore the C for a year before they settled on Larkin by default. The rest of the team was awful.
After that, fix the bottom 6 and get Larkin a sniper. D and G are set.
Huge problems still exist with this team. We had a great stretch when gibson was performing well and the power play was humming. Once the power play dried up and gibson came back down to earth we’ve been not even a .500 club.
I don’t think Larkin should be captain anymore. He challenged yzerman last year, this year he gets what he asked for with acquisitions of gibson, perron, and faulk and still falls on his face. He can’t be captain after 4 straight years of late season collapses with different coaches. But stripping him of the captaincy will probably divide the room even more.
It’s just not fucking working. We have no edge. Third and fourth lines have shifted so much I don’t even know what they are supposed to be anymore. Appleton and compher should be gone this off-season.
Faulk trade looks to be a bust. He has not been good here and giving up a first could hurt if the worst of the worst happens and this pick gets lotto luck and becomes a high pick. You all know it’s coming.
Play. Fucking. Hockey.
“Larkin shouldn’t be captain” and also “we should trade him”
Looks like the lead in the water has breached outside of flint. My god, y’all are unhinged.
So, calling players “jerseys” is a high risk, high reward move. Unless you have players that respond to that kind of public call out, you’re just sinking your reputation in the room. Also, you have to consider whether they have the capacity to be more, or if they’re actually doing their best, and it’s just not that much. We all have fun with the “jerseys” comment, but right around then is when the skid started happening. I’m not saying the players are right or wrong, especially being potentially done with another coach, but you have to be careful with how you talk to, and about your players, especially when they’re in a part of the season they famously struggle with. If they’re mentally fragile or unsure, it can absolutely cause a spiral instead of being motivational. Sure, they make a lot of money, but your coach or leaders should be inspiring you to something beyond that. If the players, evidently, feel like Todd never approached them directly with this stuff and instead said something like that to the media, it’s cooked.
This is Larkins moment to shake the mediocre captain stigma.
We seen his passion playing for Team USA, but it hasn’t always shown up on the Wings.
I love Larkin, I think he is a great center and is a lot of times under appreciated but there is credence to some of the noise.
He needs to stand up in the locker room and point at himself, get angry with himself and fire up the room. Yzerman did it. It’s something even McDavid has failed to do…
Yzerman was one of the greatest captains in all of sports because he shielded his team from negatively.. he didn’t bitch to the media in the early years after missing playoffs or first round exits. He pointed to himself.
This team needs to find this moment. If it’s not Larkin then it has to be a Seider or Razor.
That’s a captain/culture problem. Coach figures out strategy, teaches a play style, enforces discipline. GM gets pieces, but how they’re used is beyond his control outside of getting new coaches.
Fuck it let’s speculate. Hot take time!
Might be a hard pill to swallow but maybe Larkin and his “views” are clashing with the players that don’t share those views. No shit the 4 Nations and Olympics teams praise him.
28 comments
damning statement about the team.
It’s time to strip some letters. Mo to the C, Cat and Dylan as As. It’s not unprecedented and is completely warranted after these collapses.
DeBrincat should be the captain with Mo as an A
Raymond doesn’t look like he cares often
Larkin can’t get people to care
Chiarot looks like he tries even if he’s an idiot often maybe give him the other A?
Teams are going on winning streaks and making a push for the playoffs while this team is still messing around with lines and talking about being competitive. Even if they make the playoffs, they won’t have deserved it.
Eh, the pressure of getting into the playoffs after a long drought isn’t easy to deal with. It’s on the team to hire the best sports psychs. We just watched SO many elite athletes fail to medal at the Olympics because they couldn’t handle the pressure.
Kane sounds as good as gone in that second half of the article
They’re paid millions to compete.
Embarrassing for professional players to have to be scolded for not trying. What is this, the NBA?
Im losing faith in Larkin to represent what the C stands for
https://preview.redd.it/wtslt633s8sg1.jpeg?width=1206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a16af365ccd37077df2b0db6d820ff6d451144aa
This sure sounds like a shot fired at McLellan from Kaner. I’ve long wondered what the hell the disconnect is— how do you have the four nations and Olympic team raving about Larkin as a key leader in the locker room, a coach who is known/shown he can rally the troops, some solid veterans, and still have so many people playing without urgency? Well maybe Todd isn’t the hard ass in the locker room that he is on the media stand. I should say I love the Toddfather and he’s the first coach we’ve had in a decade I felt like could actually get us somewhere. But I’m just trying to make sense of all this.
I think too many players on the roster know that even if they would get traded they just end up somewhere else and sometimes even somewhere better.
I’m not one to draw “unacceptable” lines, but it’s absolutely unacceptable for this team to tune out *another* coach in March. Look inward.
I think there’s a lot of ingrained losing in the room, but there’s also the fact that we’ve hired 3 coaches in a row who suppress team offense in favor of defense. Maybe it’s what the Wings need right now, but I can’t help but wonder if a more inspired hire (someone like Carberry) would unlock a little more potential from this team. Of course, amazing coaches don’t just fall out of the sky and Newsy was a new name, but Todd sure did feel uninspired.
Probably time to just cut our losses and trade everybody on the roster age 25 and older and start over. And I mean EVERYBODY….
Reading Kane’s comments really suck. We all love Todd but that’s a pretty damning statement.
I think we continue to find a million ways to overcomplicate a talent deficient roster. The fact is we play at Vancouver level when Mo isn’t on the ice. We are a bad team with a top 5 defenseman in the league carrying the entire org on his back and a goalie having an unrepeatable good season at his age.
This team needs more talent. Period. End of story. No amount of try hard can fix that.
The bashing of Larkin in here is INSANE.
“The team doesn’t go to bat for him/doesn’t seem to love him.” – Perron saw red and almost killed an innocent guy he thought hurt Larkin. Cat literally fought a dude for him a few games ago. Watch the podcasts and social posts. Razor and others love him.
“He can’t get the guys motivated.” You can take a horse to water, you can’t make him drink. He can try to motivate guys all he wants, but if they don’t want to respond to it, that’s a THEM issue. He’s even called out Steve in the media trying to get dudes in here.
“Strip him of the C.” – NO. Want to make him give up on management and the team? Go for it. Give it to Mo. Nothing changes in that locker room. It’s a patch on a jersey.
Todd is literally going to the media with “play effing hockey” and “bunch of jerseys.” If you don’t respond to that, you don’t belong on a pro roster. This is because anyone not named Larkin (yes), Raymond, Cat, Kaner (all things considered), Mo, Ed, and arguably Finnie even with his -9 are not producing to expectation and go games with being invisible.
Anyone find Kanes comment there a little worrisome about the state of the locker room?
How troubling
Clearly this is Ken Holland’s fault
It’s time to take the C off Larkin’s jersey. He’s a very good player that should just be allowed to play his game. If you look at last game stats, Seider played 28 minutes, Cat 22. It’s clear who Todd trusts. I’ve never seen minutes that high for a D or F for wings. Set Larkin free or this stink may never wash off, Fans forget nobody wore the C for a year before they settled on Larkin by default. The rest of the team was awful.
After that, fix the bottom 6 and get Larkin a sniper. D and G are set.
Huge problems still exist with this team. We had a great stretch when gibson was performing well and the power play was humming. Once the power play dried up and gibson came back down to earth we’ve been not even a .500 club.
I don’t think Larkin should be captain anymore. He challenged yzerman last year, this year he gets what he asked for with acquisitions of gibson, perron, and faulk and still falls on his face. He can’t be captain after 4 straight years of late season collapses with different coaches. But stripping him of the captaincy will probably divide the room even more.
It’s just not fucking working. We have no edge. Third and fourth lines have shifted so much I don’t even know what they are supposed to be anymore. Appleton and compher should be gone this off-season.
Faulk trade looks to be a bust. He has not been good here and giving up a first could hurt if the worst of the worst happens and this pick gets lotto luck and becomes a high pick. You all know it’s coming.
Play. Fucking. Hockey.
“Larkin shouldn’t be captain” and also “we should trade him”
Looks like the lead in the water has breached outside of flint. My god, y’all are unhinged.
So, calling players “jerseys” is a high risk, high reward move. Unless you have players that respond to that kind of public call out, you’re just sinking your reputation in the room. Also, you have to consider whether they have the capacity to be more, or if they’re actually doing their best, and it’s just not that much. We all have fun with the “jerseys” comment, but right around then is when the skid started happening. I’m not saying the players are right or wrong, especially being potentially done with another coach, but you have to be careful with how you talk to, and about your players, especially when they’re in a part of the season they famously struggle with. If they’re mentally fragile or unsure, it can absolutely cause a spiral instead of being motivational. Sure, they make a lot of money, but your coach or leaders should be inspiring you to something beyond that. If the players, evidently, feel like Todd never approached them directly with this stuff and instead said something like that to the media, it’s cooked.
This is Larkins moment to shake the mediocre captain stigma.
We seen his passion playing for Team USA, but it hasn’t always shown up on the Wings.
I love Larkin, I think he is a great center and is a lot of times under appreciated but there is credence to some of the noise.
He needs to stand up in the locker room and point at himself, get angry with himself and fire up the room. Yzerman did it. It’s something even McDavid has failed to do…
Yzerman was one of the greatest captains in all of sports because he shielded his team from negatively.. he didn’t bitch to the media in the early years after missing playoffs or first round exits. He pointed to himself.
This team needs to find this moment. If it’s not Larkin then it has to be a Seider or Razor.
That’s a captain/culture problem. Coach figures out strategy, teaches a play style, enforces discipline. GM gets pieces, but how they’re used is beyond his control outside of getting new coaches.
Fuck it let’s speculate. Hot take time!
Might be a hard pill to swallow but maybe Larkin and his “views” are clashing with the players that don’t share those views. No shit the 4 Nations and Olympics teams praise him.