Dylan Larkin, Emmitt Finnie, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments vs EDM | Oct. 19, 2025

Dylan Larkin, Emmitt Finnie, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments vs EDM | Oct. 19, 2025

Dylan, that just over 11 minutes without stoppage. Was that experience? Didn’t know it was I knew it was long, but um yeah, it was it was uh I thought we did a good job controlling our emotions and um it was it was uh like a team like that, those guys over there, they’re going to push and they’re going to um get their chances. But maybe it maybe it helped us a little bit where it was just kind of chaotic and um emotions got high and um I thought we did a good job hanging in there and and battling and winning our net front and um I still think we got some looks. You know, we talked about make good defense is going to lead offense against this team and um down the stretch we we got looks and and we had chances to to put the game on ice. Dylan, uh Axel, the other night, his first goal for me tonight. What can you keep saying about those rookies? Yeah, I mean, um, you know, I think they’ve just gotten better and better and and, uh, we talked about I said this before with, but France is it’s going to come for him and and, uh, he’s going to score a lot in this league and, um, I like how whether the puck’s going in or not, they’ve just gotten stronger and stronger and more comfortable. Um, Finn, I can’t say enough good things about. I mean, uh, I think Max asked me before the season about a linemate and, um, you know, uh, you know, a guy like him is, uh, you know, even if the puck bounce is not his way or our way and, you know, he rarely makes mistakes, but if if something happens, you can’t you can’t get mad at him. He’s such a such a great, uh, guy. I really mean that. And, uh, hardworking and, um, you know, I think he uh, there’s a reason why he was a captain in in uh, in juniors. and he does the little things that uh that uh you know win hockey games and and uh to see him score his first tonight was was awesome and and sure enough right around the net. Um he goes to the net hard. He plays without fear and um you know just a great uh great teammate, great linemate. I I couldn’t be be happier for him. And was there a time whether in camp or where you said this kid could be something special? Was there one moment at all you can remember? Um yeah, I mean we we had a different structure to camp and I think I’ve talked about this where um you know we we practiced and we scrimmaged and he came over uh we we we he came over the boards with with Lombardi and uh those two guys were just flying and and it was it was like wow this these two can skate and he stood out where um you know he’s making plays he was fearless he was uh driving the play and uh You know, I think like I said, uh, preseason is preseason and it’s valuable for young players and for vets to get their legs going, but as as the regular season, especially with our start, uh, the the strength of the schedule, um, he’s gotten stronger and so have all all the young guys and and uh, you know, they they they seem to be fearless and and that uh, you know, that uh, is it’s it you know, something I look at and why can’t I be fearless, too? You know, this is it. They’ve brought a great uh you know motivating uh brought a great energy to our locker room. I was going to ask match up against Connor a lot of times throughout the years. Like what is your mindset when you approach a game like that? You know you’re going to see him 10 12 minutes out there. Stay above him. Uh it’s hard to do but um you almost don’t think about offense when you play against him and and uh doesn’t help when Dry Sid’s playing with him all night. Um you know his speed you can only you you’re a step behind, you’re a half step behind. Uh you’re even with him. you’re screwed. So, uh you got to be above them and and u my mentality playing against them uh is is forgettable if if it’s 000 while we’re out on the ice together. I think it gives our team our team a good chance and um it’s funny when you don’t think about offense how offense comes to your offensive start yourself. Uh I don’t know. I mean, uh, you know, just trying to, uh, had a good summer and and, uh, you know, a healthy summer and and, um, I think, uh, just, you know, positivity and carrying over to the season and and, uh, um, you know, playing with Finn and playing with Ray, playing with Apps when he when he came up, uh, great skating guys that can skate and think the game at at high speed and, uh, making it very easy. I don’t have to be F1 on the for check and and first guy back to play defense. It it takes a little bit of the load when you got two other guys that can skate and and uh go go help and and do some of the heavy lifting to get the pucks back. Dylan, uh during this winning streak other than the game in Toronto, it’s really been a team effort to win goending special teams. How important is that? Yeah, very important. Um, you know, I think you got to win in different ways and and um, like I said, he said about Brans, like he’s puck’s going to go in for him, the puck’s going to go in for Cat and we know when when it does, he’s going to catch fire and and our power play, we didn’t even get one tonight, but that can be better. Um, we can score more at five and five. So, um although we did tonight, so I I like how we’ve won in different ways and um when heat gets when it gets, you know, intense out there and and a lot of pressure, um we seem calmer. We seem like we know our jobs and we’re doing them and we’re executing and and uh you know, it’s it’s not going to be perfect for 60 minutes, but how we’ve won in different ways is is uh very encouraging and you know, it’s just a good start. I’ve said that before. So, we need to we need to keep going. And now we get on the road a little bit. Um, very important to be a good road team. When you talk about all those positive contributions coming from some of your line and teammates, do you think there’s also something to be said for the mental load being lifted too and that allowing you to reinvest that energy maybe in other areas? Um, yeah. Yeah. I mean, absolutely. It’s it’s a team sport and you need everyone. uh long seasons like this, you need you need every guy to to contribute and and I think the best teams in this league, they’re they’re they have 23 leaders and 23 guys that that uh you know are really good hockey players and and you know I believe we’re we’re up there with with with those teams. You mentioned going on the road now. Is that kind of like the next exam to write to test the team to see how you do on the road? Yeah, absolutely. uh we did it in Toronto, but um you know, we got a backto-back coming up and then and then a big trip. So, um you know, I I I really believe that uh you know, once Todd got here last year, we started to play better on the road and and um and and it’s important, you know, it’s important to to be um really dialed in in these road trips. How is it how key has it been for this team over the five game winning streak doing so without a key member of the team either with Lucas or in today’s case without Patrick Kane? Yeah, like I said, winning in different ways. Um leadership from all over our lineup. Uh, I thought Albert Johansson had one of his best games tonight and, uh, probably not going to get talked about, but, um, what he’s done for our blue line, uh, Appleton coming in, JVR, how he just makes great play after great play and and that probably won’t get talked about. So, um, you know, I think, uh, we have guys contributing and in in ways that that aren’t on the score sheet and, um, when guys are out, we have got guys stepping up. Thanks, Mar. I mean, now that you’ve had some more time to reflect on that first goal, getting a second one on top of that, what has it been like? Yeah, that was a great feeling. Um, you know, JBD made a good play at the point and, uh, you know, I was just lucky enough to be there in front. Finn, it seems like you guys have found a different way to win on this win streak. How important is that to keep building that as the season now gets into the longer here? Yeah, it’s huge. Um, you know, Edmonton’s a good team. Uh, you know, they they got two top players who, um, can make you pay on every night. So, um, you know, I thought we did a good job managing them. Dylan talked a little bit about the fearlessness of the youth with yourself included in that helping his game. How does he help your game? Oh, he helps it a lot. Um I mean he’s a great leader. Um you know he’s helping me on and off the ice um this whole year. So um you know I’m just trying to you know put myself in good spots for him. I mean what does it do especially for a young player when you’re trusted to play at such key moments of the game? Yeah, it helps a lot. Um you know it definitely builds my confidence and you know I’ve been feeling good about my game so um you know it definitely helps. like tongue and cheek, but like how are you not intimidated, right? You’re at the top line, you’re playing against McDavid and dryidle shift after shift. Like was there a moment early in the game where like kind of wow? I mean, yeah, maybe a little bit like when I was lining up for the opening draw, um you know, those are two of the best players in the league and you know, I’ve grown up watching them. So, um you know, after that first shift, you kind of got to forget about that and just and just play. on the empty net. Cole, I mean, probably the first instinct of most people is just get that puck down the ice and you held it till you almost the right moment. Is that just instinct? Yeah, I mean, I was trying to get the red line. Um, I didn’t want to ice it. So, um, you know, I just flipped one out there and I was actually wasn’t going for the net. I was just trying to put it past him and try to skate onto it, but um, you know, I got a good roll and found it back in the net. Did you get the puck? I got the puck on the first goal. Yeah. Yeah. Larks grabbed it for me. You you mentioned Larkin helping you. Is there like a example or two you could give of bat like on the bench or the room or Yeah, just all the time. Um, you know, on the bench he talks to me a lot. Um, you know, he’s given me pointers throughout the game and, you know, even in practice and stuff. He’s he’s always helping me with, you know, all the little things. So, um, you know, he’s been great for me. Todd, over 11 minutes without a whistle over the course of that stretch, Dylan said he felt like it helped that group. What was your takeaway over the course of that? Well, the game uh it sure picked up, you know, in the third period, the the pace um even the energy I I thought early even the first two periods there was a lot of checking going on, a bit of a chess match between the the players on the ice and then all of a sudden the pace came out and um you know, I was I was happy the with the way we handled it. We can we can skate. Um guys were ready on the bench. Um, you know, we wanted a match or we chased a match all night, but sometimes we didn’t get it and other guys had to go do the job, but the pace of the game really went up and uh I was happy with the way we played at that time. How satisfying is it to see, you know, we talked a lot about the rookies, but the hand that they’ve had in this winning streak? Well, it’s rewarding. You know, it’s rewarding for the group that is on the bench, all the players and that type of stuff. It’s obviously rewarding for the fans, but there’s a a group of people in the organization that go find these players, and then there’s a group of people in the organization that develop these players and and support them. And then there’s the players themselves. They have to be good human beings and and willing to learn and work. And these three um and many others in the organization, but these three in particular are all of those things. Uh so, everybody pulls for them. and um as we’re cheering and pulling for them, the team is is playing along with them and they’re doing a hell of a job. Just anything fresh? Um I don’t have Well, today’s Sunday, so it’s a bad day, but tomorrow we’ll know a little bit more. Todd, Dylan’s gotten Conor’s match up for a lot of years now, and you were on the other end of that for a while. What does he do when he plays against Connor to kind of try to slow him down, basically? Well, that it’s a hard task, especially when the two of them are together because Connor can speed the game up so much and Leon can slow it down. So, you’re you got your foot on the gas and then all of a sudden a break. You hit a break and then a gas and a break and um the three of them did a really good job together. But, uh Dylan in particular, he can skate. You know, that if there was one descriptor of Dylan Larkin, it’s skate and speed and pace. and um he accepted the challenge tonight and skated and did a good job. I know. Oh, sorry. Has there been a secret sauce, for lack of a better term, for what the team has been able to win? Not necessarily. Um no, we’re we’re playing we’re developing an identity. We’ve won it many different ways. Um, you know, maybe they the the 2×4 across the forehead against Montreal was exactly what we needed. Now, in retrospect, um, we didn’t want it that time. We none of us were happy, but maybe it just put us back to where we needed to be and hockey became real. Um, you know, but I don’t think there’s a secret sauce. I think everybody’s playing to their strengths. Um, the goalenders are giving us a chance to win each night. Um, we’re not giving up 40 45 shots against, which certainly helps. Penalty kills improved a little bit. And when all that happens, you get a little more confident. Um, and when you get confident, you make fewer mistakes and you have a chance to score a bit more. And I think that’s where we’re at. Lurin after the game complimented Albert Johansson’s play with him and JBD back there. What have you liked from the way they kind of play with each other and balance each other out? Well, they’re starting to get comfortable with each other and both are so mobile uh is what I find. They may not be the biggest guys, but they play big. Uh but their mobility, they’re uh you know, if one’s standing, the other is retrieving, they have a pretty good idea what they want to do with the puck. And uh the moil mobility of both is is a real asset for them. When you look at uh with EMTT, we’ve talked a lot about his offense today and everything like that, but we talked about Dylan and his skating and his speed. When you look at the defensive details in Emit’s game and being able to play in that spot, what sticks out most to you that you don’t have to late in a game and it’s a onegoal game, you don’t have to take the 20-year-old kid off the line and things. Lack of lack of fear. He’s ready for the moment. Um he just is. He’s he’s a seventh round draft pick and here’s what happens. He’s had to work at both ends of the rink. when he was in Cam Loops, they had um a memorial cup type team and from what I understand, he was almost an extra piece. He had to earn everything so the coach would put him on the ice. Sometimes the star firstrounder that gets there just based on offense doesn’t have the details that, you know, sometimes the others have. EMTT has both because he’s had to have both. Um he’s accepted that he’s had to to check as much as he’s had to score. Um, it’s a great great learning tool for a lot of young superstars in junior or college, wherever that just thinks their stat sheets going to get them here. It it doesn’t. It gets them here, but then we can’t play them at certain moments. EMTT’s had to work both ends and we trust them. Is that some is that something that’s been there for you from the beginning of camp or is that something that you kind of saw that over the last four or five games of hey we can like is it something you ever thought maybe we got late in the game I’d have to take him off this spot and he’s just kind of proven you wrong or anything? No, actually opposite. I was hoping we could get him out more. He’s got such a good engine and he understands the game that there was no zero talk on the bench, hey maybe we should flip him out. Um now that comes with coach’s confidence in a in a young man. I can’t tell you I would have said that in the third exhibition game watching him play, but he’s earned our respect and our um our our trust in him. And if we take that away now, we’re we’re going to set him back. Um and again, he’s going to have some ups and downs. I said this about Casper last year. It’s it’s hard to play at the top of your game all the time, but he’s doing a real good job of it right now. Two questions. One, we know what you said after the Montreal game in here. Did you say anything to Dylan as captain? You know, I I went home that night and I woke up the next day and my sons, I talked about him before. He said, “Dad, you lost your marbles.” And I go, “What?” Like, I didn’t even think I was that emotional up here or driven. I I just knew that we were disappointed as a coaching staff and that we had things to fix. And maybe the disappointment is it’s like a teacher in a in a classroom. you worked for 3 months on a lesson and now they took the test and just bombed it. Um, so then you take the retest. Remember those in grade three or whatever it was, four, you get a retest. Well, we got a retest and we got to study a little harder and held him accountable. So, um, I didn’t talk to Dylan that day. I didn’t. I talked to the team. Um, and if I remember correctly, the first thing I talked about was our team spirit and how they were responsible for maintaining it right now. And then I finished by reminding them of that. The team spirit was real important. And if you guys remember when I got here last year, that was something we wanted to instill. So, independent of that, what do you what have you seen from Dylan in particular over the last five games? Um, everything a captain should be. Leadership. Um, and leadership isn’t just raw. A lot of times it’s leading by example. He’s done a tremendous job. Um, we’re early in the season. He’s playing banged up a little bit. Uh, but everything that we should see from Dylan, we’re seeing from him right now. Now, we got a long way to go. He’s got to keep doing that. Was everything okay with Lucas Raymond when he briefly departed? Yeah, like obviously he uh, you know, he was banged up. He didn’t practice. He missed a game or two. So, um, pretty good effort by him to come back and and give the team what he he could give considering Kainer was out. Uh, but it’ll still take a few days to for him to really get back to 100%. I wouldn’t say he played at 100. And just to build on that, these five wins have been either mostly either without Lucas or in today’s game uh without Patrick Kane. How how huge is it for this team to continue putting points in the in the standings even without such a key member of the team? Well, we have um we have capable players here. Um now, nobody wants to lose those two. We don’t want to play without them, but we have capable players um further down the lineup. They just have to elevate and and play. And they can’t hide. They have to give a little bit more. And I spoke to a couple of them today like without certain players in the lineup, your your play has been okay, but we need more now. and they’re able to deliver it and we just got to draw it out of them tonight. I thought they did a good job. The season’s an ongoing test now. You get your first uh kind of real taste of the road. You’ve just had that one game in Toronto. Is this kind of the the next exam for these guys to take what they’re doing well on the road? I would say it is. Um you know, if we’re if we’re able to take our game, it’ll give us a chance on the road. Obviously, we don’t get matches. There’s things that don’t go your way, but if we can bottle up and take our game on the road, we’ll give ourselves a chance. If we want to play something different on the road and we got to figure that part out, we’ll uh you know, won’t be so good. So, yes, it’ll be another test. Um looking forward to seeing us play first back to back as well.

Dylan Larkin, Emmitt Finnie, and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s game against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday October 19, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena.