Red Wings coach Todd McLellan has major comparison for Lucas Raymond
Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan has high praise for forward Lucas Raymond, and has compared him to a former Red Wings great that he previously coached.
Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond is emerging as a true star forward, shouldering more and more of the responsibility that comes with helping bring a team back from the NHL's basement.
With his goal last night against the Los Angeles Kings as part of Detroit's 5-2 win at Little Caesars Arena, he's reached the 20-goal plateau and is on pace for 92 points, which would mark a new career-best.
Coach Todd McLellan, who returned to Detroit on December 26 in the place of the terminated Derek Lalonde, sees several aspects in Raymond's game that remind him of former captain and 2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg.
He's got an abrasiveness to him that I wasn't aware of. I'm going to use a name, and he's not that player, but a little bit of Zetterberg in him like that determination and a little bit of abrasiveness, the fire kind of.
I think they're both winners. The difference right now is Hank has the jewelry to prove it (2008 Stanley Cup ring) and it takes a team to do that. But I think you could win with Raymond for sure. Competitive, two-way, high hockey IQ, leader.
McLellan coached Zetterberg as an assistant under Mike Babcock for three years, helping the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup in 2008; Zetterberg was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Most Valuable Player.
And while Raymond has a ways to go before he can accurately be compared to Detroit's former captain, the fellow Swede is well on his way to entering that conversation among his NHL peers.
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JANVIER 28 | 123 ANSWERS Red Wings coach Todd McLellan has major comparison for Lucas Raymond Does Lucas Raymond's play remind you of former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg? |
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