Detroit Red Wings Hot at Christmas Break

McLellan is an experienced head coach, and that is something that the Red Wings have been lacking. The Red Wings lost their last game with Derek Lalonde as head coach against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lalonde is now an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. General manager of the Red Wings, Steve Yzerman, knew that something needed to change.

Todd McLellan: “The timing of it, leadership factor where he kind of went out and got it done.”

McLellan has the Red Wings playing well at the Christmas break. The NHL players will have the chance to play for their countries for the first time since 2014, when Canada defeated Sweden to win the gold medal. The Red Wings will have 44 games left in the 2025-26 season after the Christmas break.

Captain of the Red Wings, Dylan Larkin, is playing the best hockey of his NHL career. Larkin leads the team with 20 goals, which is tied with Alex DeBrincat, and has added 16 assists. In the 11 seasons with the Red Wings, Larkin has led the team through a rebuild, and the next thing that Larkin needs to do is lead the team back to the playoffs.

Dylan Larkin: “It’s a special time of year.”

“I think with a tradition like that, it means a lot to the guys,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said of the NHL’s Christmas break. “And it means a lot to me. My first Christmas with my daughter, something I’ll always remember, and I’m excited for her. So it’s a special time of year. It’s going to be even more special this year.” Larkin scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Dallas Stars to end the first half of the season for the Red Wings.

Despite the Red Wings struggling to begin the 2025-26 NHL season, the team is on a hot streak as they go into the Christmas break. What is behind this streak? Goaltender John Gibson is the first Red Wings goaltender since Chris Osgood to record an eight-game win streak. The Red Wings acquired Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks to stabilize their goaltending position as they wait for prospect Sebastian Cossa to make it to the NHL.

The amount of draft capital that the Red Wings used to acquire the draft pick used to select Cossa makes it imperative that he makes it to the NHL at some point. In 21 games so far this season, Gibson has a record of 12-7-1 with two shutouts, a 3.01 goals-against average, and an .891 save percentage. Gibson is arguably the most talented goaltender the Red Wings have had since Jimmy Howard was the number one from 2009 to 2019.

Somehow, with 47 points, the Red Wings are in first place in the Atlantic Division going into the Christmas break. This is a familiar place for the Red Wings. The difference is whether the team can hold onto this lead under new head coach Todd McLellan. The Red Wings have a record of 48-31-7 under McLellan. The message needs to stay the same to keep the Red Wings from becoming complacent. “Play f—king hockey,” Merry Christmas.