Former head coach Todd McLellan has a strong message for the Edmonton Oilers
Photo credit: Globe and mail
If anyone understands what kind of offensive firepower the Edmonton Oilers have -- it's ex-head coach Todd McLellan.
The 57-year-old was once head coach of the Oilers, hired a month before they drafted McDavid with the top pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. McLellan was 20 games into his fourth season behind the Edmonton bench with a 9-10-1 record when he was fired and replaced by Ken Hitchcock.
While his bitter feelings towards being fired are behind him, Todd McLellan looks ahead to tonight's matchup as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.
«They remind me of the Sedins, but they're not twins. They kind of share the same thought process,» McLellan said Wednesday in Detroit, referencing retired Vancouver Canucks stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
«Thirty-one other teams have tried to figure out a way to slow them down for the past 10 years. Maybe the only team that solved it was Florida, and it took them seven (games in June's Stanley Cup final.)»
Teams also have to consider whether McDavid and Draisaitl are playing together on a line or apart, said McLellan, who coached the Oilers' Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings in both the 2022 and 2023 NHL playoffs, series both won by Edmonton.
«The two of them are elite separately, and they're super-elite together,» he said. «They play a completely different game. One fast, one slows it down with passing and vision ...
«They're going to get their chances. Goaltending is going to have to be important. We're going to have to stay out of the penalty box ... but to think we're going in there to absolutely stop them and not give them anything, we'd be dreaming.»
«They're going to get their chances. Goaltending is going to have to be important. We're going to have to stay out of the penalty box ... but to think we're going in there to absolutely stop them and not give them anything, we'd be dreaming.»
McLellan, who coached the Los Angeles Kings last season before he was fired on Feb. 2, is 598-412-134 in 1,144 regular-season games with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Kings and 42-46 in 88 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Regardless, tonight's matchup against the Red Wings presents many intriguing storylines, but seeing McLellan back coaching in old barn should be interesting to say the least.
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