4 months ago
- Red Wings
- Published: Jan. 07, 2026, 2:22 p.m.
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings person needed others to lend offensively, not conscionable trust connected nan aforesaid 3 aliases 4 players for scoring.
Veterans James van Riemsdyk and Andrew Copp are delivering aft slow starts.
Van Riemsdyk has 10 goals and 13 points successful his past 18 games aft producing conscionable 1 extremity and 2 points successful his first 17 games. Copp has 5 goals and 14 points successful his past 17 games, aft collecting conscionable 1 extremity and 9 points successful 27 games.
They’ve taken immoderate of nan unit to nutrient disconnected nan likes of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat.
“I deliberation I utilized nan words ‘It’s a must’ earlier successful nan twelvemonth and we’ve been capable to get it,” coach Todd McLellan said. “So, erstwhile immoderate of nan bigger, higher-end scorers person gone dry, there’s been that support strategy and it’s not conscionable coming from 1 individual, it’s coming from a assortment of different ones successful different ways. A shorthanded extremity nan different nighttime (for Michael Rasmussen successful Monday’s 5-3 triumph astatine Ottawa), first of nan season. So, I’ll reiterate that it’s a must that we get that and it’s besides a must that nan large boys support producing arsenic nan play goes on.”
The Red Wings (25-15-4) big Vancouver (16-21-5) connected Thursday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network).
Van Riemsdyk is tied for 2nd connected nan squad successful goals since Nov. 24. He’s played almost exclusively successful a bottom-six capacity and pinch different linemates. He’s besides astatine nan net-front beingness connected nan apical power-play unit.
“Just emotion immoderate bully chemistry pinch different situations and my mates I’ve been playing with, and I deliberation we’re conscionable reference disconnected each different good and playing smart, sound lucky and making bully decisions for nan astir part,” van Riemsdyk said. “Especially lately I consciousness for illustration we’re conscionable really buying into that and thing excessively flashy. Playing nan crippled nan correct measurement that you tin person success.”
Van Riemsdyk, pursuing McLellan’s statement shuffling connected Sunday, is skating connected a statement pinch J.T. Compher and Raymond.
“I’ve learned that particularly complete nan past fewer years, conscionable switching from different teams. nan much you tin talk aft shifts, betwixt games during practice, I deliberation it’s a bully point to conscionable ever person that changeless dialogue,” van Riemsdyk said. “What were you seeing connected this? What were you reasoning connected this?”
McLellan called van Riemsdyk “a stabilizing factor” connected a line.
“May not beryllium nan fastest guy, but he knows who he is and what he does,” McLellan said. “And he’s been location truthful galore times -- connected nan boards vs. unit back, checking, bully reads, what’s going to happen. So, it’s not difficult to find him linemates. But we ever look astatine what he mightiness complement nan champion aliases vice versa.”
Copp has flourished centering a statement pinch DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, nan 1 portion McLellan hasn’t separated.
“I deliberation Copper’s assurance is backmost to a level wherever it needs to be,” McLellan said. “I deliberation he’s put himself successful a business wherever he’s utilizing his legs much during nan crippled and he’s uncovering ways to beryllium astir nan nett much than he was possibly earlier successful nan season. And arsenic that happens and you find a measurement to people a extremity each now and then, you commencement to consciousness bully astir yourself, and it’s astir apt nan champion he’s felt each year.
“We person tried him connected nan helping during nan year. Maybe that didn’t thief him. Sometimes we get successful nan measurement of players’ assurance aliases development, and this could beryllium a lawsuit of that.”
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