Detroit Red Wings 'somewhat embarrassed' as coach renews criticism

Over the past few weeks, Todd McLellan has described some Detroit Red Wings as being “just jerseys,” and most recently, some as working neither hard nor smart. He’s also wondered why there’s even a need to have to “extract competitiveness” from a team this late in the season.

Those are pretty damning comments, especially towards a team that has gone from owning a 12-point cushion in the playoff chase on Jan. 24 to being two points outside with nine games to play. The next opportunity to make inroads comes when the Wings begin a three-game trip with a stop at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, March 31 (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).

The Wings will need to play much better than their lackluster effort against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, which spurred McLellan’s latest criticism. Those comments were made to reporters, and that is what players fastened onto when they were asked for their reaction.

Feb 28, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan looks on against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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“I think you can say what you want in the media, the message has always been more important from what’s coming inside the locker room,” Patrick Kane said Monday. “As far as what the message is from the coaches to us in here, I don’t know if we’ve heard those comments directly to our face or whatever it is, but I mean, it is what it is.

“As a player, you can use that any way you like, but I think we’re kind of focused on what’s going on in this room and not really any outside noise. What II would say is we’re fighting for a playoff spot and we have nine games left to prove it. Obviously, the last game wasn’t good enough. I think we’re all somewhat embarrassed by the way that game started off.”

McLellan is known as a straight shooter, and he certainly had cause for criticism when he made the “some guys that are just jerseys” comment after the Wings lost, 5-2, on Feb. 28 at the Carolina Hurricanes. After Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers – a team the Wings play again the next two Thursdays – McLellan said that some Wings were working hard and some smart, “and we had some guys that were doing neither.”

That was after the third straight loss at Little Caesars Arena, and the second straight to an opponent neck-and-neck with the Wings in the standings in the fight for the second wild-card berth.

“I think you guys kind of run with those,” Andrew Copp said of the comments. “For us as a team, we have faith in all 20 guys – all 20 guys, plus the guys that are out maybe night to night. We have faith in each other. We’ve got faith in the process. We’ve got faith in our system. So, I think those kind of get taken and ran with in the media. Who’s he talking about? I mean, we’re, we’re 22 guys together in here and that’s all that matters.”

The Wings (39-26-8) should be focused on themselves, but the lack of emotion and energy that marred the past two losses – they fell, 3-2, to the Ottawa Senators on March 24 – undermine their efforts and leave them open to criticism. It’s not like McLellan’s message to reporters strays from what he says to the players, even if the words are different.

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