DETROIT — With no captain’s “C” in the Red Wings room, Detroit is spreading the responsibility around. Before Monday’s practice, a group of players met to talk through team business ahead of Tuesday’s home date with the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena.
Leadership shared across the room
Ben Chiarot, Alex DeBrincat, Justin Faulk, Keegan Kolesar and Moritz Seider took part in the latest leadership gathering. Lucas Raymond was slated to join them but received a maintenance day before the 6 p.m. ET puck drop against New Jersey, televised on ESPN and SN+.
Coach Todd McLellan said the club intends to hold similar meetings roughly every week to 10 days, with the timing adjusted around the schedule. The goal is to make leadership a team-wide job rather than placing it on one player.
McLellan sees several forms of leadership in an NHL dressing room: a player who sets the standard through his shifts, an emotional voice around the group, a teammate who organizes meals or other off-ice details, and someone willing to bring player concerns to the coaches. He said he is comfortable with that shared model.
- Raymond and Seider remain Detroit’s alternate captains.
- DeBrincat, who grew up in the Detroit area, has helped arrange local team activities.
- The meetings can cover on-ice play, travel details and other day-to-day matters.
- McLellan has emphasized that every player is welcome to speak up.
Finding stability through a noisy start
Detroit has opened 1-3-1 while navigating a turbulent stretch around the club. Dylan Larkin requested a trade and was stripped of the captaincy. Steve Yzerman moved into a senior adviser role, with Shawn Horcoff taking over as interim general manager. Restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson arrived at training camp without a contract and later went back to Sweden still unsigned.
The shorter NHL training-camp and preseason schedule also changed the club’s usual routine. Detroit did not make its customary early-season trip to Traverse City, Michigan, leaving the players and coaches to find different ways to build cohesion and tune out the outside chatter.
The group has mixed hockey business with outings away from the rink. Players have played golf and watched the NFL’s Detroit Lions at Cosm Detroit, the downtown venue featuring an immersive video display. Coaches, with player input, also organized a paintball event. The equipment staff created a black vest that will be passed to the Red Wings player of the game after each win.
“There is plenty of outside noise, but inside this room we are staying together and enjoying coming to the rink,” DeBrincat said. “The mood has been good, and the group is having fun.”
Accountability without waiting for a captain
Seider said leadership can be as simple as a player taking responsibility for a small task, whether it is arranging an event or making coffee for teammates. He pointed to the younger Swedish players as an example of people who can take initiative without needing a formal title.
He does not believe he and Raymond have become formal go-betweens for the locker room and coaching staff. Instead, Seider said the players know McLellan makes himself available and that concerns should be dealt with quickly rather than allowed to linger.
Seider said a problem does not always need to be fully settled in one conversation, but addressing it directly gives people a chance to move ahead.
DeBrincat said the players have already addressed lapses among themselves during games, often before McLellan reaches the room. In his view, the club has improved at policing its own standards and approaching games as one group rather than as a collection of individuals.
- Players are being encouraged to raise issues promptly.
- The room is handling some in-game frustrations before coaches address them.
- Detroit’s leadership approach is intended to include veterans, younger players and alternate captains alike.
Larkin remains part of the leadership core
That approach includes Larkin despite the loss of his captaincy. The veteran center missed the entire preseason and Detroit’s first two regular-season games with an upper-body injury.
He was booed during introductions at the Oct. 2 opener and again when he returned on Oct. 6. Larkin answered with a goal and an assist in his season debut, turning much of the reaction into cheers, and the booing eased further during Friday’s game.
DeBrincat said Larkin’s standing inside the room has not changed because the letter is gone from his sweater. He said the center will continue to lead in the manner he always has, with the Red Wings focused on staying united as they prepare for the Devils.
