Despite winning their last three games in dramatic fashion, the Red Wings’ quest to return to the playoffs fell short on the final day of the season, hindered in large part by a brutal stretch in March that saw just eight points in 15 games.
But head coach Derek Lalonde says there’s “no reason whatsoever we can’t knock on that door again.” He doesn’t expect the team to regress in any way. In fact, Lalonde says he knows the expectations are to break through and make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Red Wings, he said, are “better on day one” this season than they were on day one a year ago. And they certainly “don’t expect regression.”
He points, in part, to the many “learning experiences” the team endured down the stretch, and how the team has been reflecting on those moments, especially the younger “cornerstone” players like Lucas Raymond and Mo Seider.
“I don’t think the message will change. It’s still about a process and doing it night in and night out, but I think the whole experience will have grown the group,” he told Costa and Jansen live Monday morning at the Ilitch Charities Celebrity Golf Classic.
As last year’s youngsters have some much-needed experience under their belts, Lalonde says there’s a new crop of young players ready to make “big jumps.”
“I gotta be careful because I gotta let this play out. But I’m a very huge fan of those three players knocking on the door,” Lalonde said. “Three guys that’s knocking on the door are Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur and Marco Kasper. And I just love a lot of the two-way game they have. I know as a coach, it was a great team, a fun team to coach last year, but we outscored a lot of our defensive deficiencies.”
“But some of their DNA is to lean, score offense. It’s who they are. All three of those guys, I think they have that two-way, hard-to-play-against DNA. I just get really excited about watching them,” Lalonde said.
As free agency began on July 1, Lalonde said he and GM Steve Yzerman knew they needed and wanted more of that “two way type of guy.” But he said it was very hard for Yzerman to “go out and overpay and do these extra terms,” Lalonde said, noting one unnamed free agent who fit that bill was driving a very hard bargain.
“It was just out of control that day. And in my mind we may have that, that DNA in those three guys coming up, it’s just a matter of when they’ll be ready.”
Danielson, the Wings’ 9th overall pick in the 2023 draft, had 24 goals and 43 assists across 54 games in the WHL. The 19-year-old Edmonton native also put up three points in five games at the WJC last year.
Mazur, a Michigan native and national champion at the University of Denver, posted 37 points in 60 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins last season. Kasper, the 8th overall pick in 2022, had 35 points in 71 games last year with the Griffins.
Lalonde also said he foresees Jonatan Berggren being a part of the team after a decent showing in 2 games with Detroit last season.
“I foresee him on the team. He's gotta come earn it, he’s gotta have a good camp, but what he did through last year, I foresee him, he’s gonna get that opportunity, the benefit of the doubt, if you will,” Lalonde said.
The Wings open their 25th annual training camp in Traverse City on Thursday, Sept. 19, running through Sunday, Sept. 22. The preseason schedule begins the following Wednesday with a trip to Chicago, followed by a return game from the Blackhawks at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, Sept. 27.