Red Wings turn to group effort in lieu of captain for leadership

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings held a leadership meeting before practice Monday, something they’re trying to do every week to 10 days depending on their schedule this season.

This one included Ben Chiarot, Alex DeBrincat, Justin Faulk, Keegan Kolesar and Moritz Seider. Lucas Raymond would have been there too, but he had a maintenance day ahead of the Red Wings’ game against the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN+).

Coach Todd McLellan said they’re trying to spread out the leadership responsibility now that they don’t have a captain.

“We’re trying to get everybody to grab a piece of it, and I think leadership comes in so many different forms,” he said. “There’s just the way you play. There’s the rah-rah guy in the locker room. There’s the family guy outside of the rink that takes care of meals and stuff like that. There’s the guy that approaches the coach for information or to relay things. So, there’s a lot of different people in different leadership roles in our team right now.

“I actually don’t mind it. It doesn’t have to be about one individual. It can be about the group.”

Detroit has been dealing with a lot of drama. Dylan Larkin requested a trade and lost the captaincy. General manager Steve Yzerman became a senior adviser; assistant GM Shawn Horcoff became the interim GM. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent, reported to training camp without a contract, then returned home to Sweden unsigned.

At the same time, the NHL reduced the length of training camp and the preseason. The Red Wings didn’t get away for a few days in Traverse City, Michigan, as in the past. They’ve had to come up with other ways to block out distractions, bond as a group and handle day-to-day business.

Raymond and Seider are alternate captains, but they’re from Sweden and Germany, respectively. DeBrincat, a native of the Detroit area, has arranged local off-ice activities. The players have gone golfing and watched the NFL’s Detroit Lions at Cosm Detroit, a new venue downtown with an immersive video screen.

The coaches arranged a team paintball outing with the players’ input. The equipment staff designed a black vest for the players to hand out to the player of the game after victories.

Although the Red Wings are 1-3-1, they’re relatively upbeat.

“Obviously, (there has been) a lot of noise on the outside, but in here, we’re trying to stay close-knit and just like coming to the rink every day,” DeBrincat said. “I think we’ve done a good job. Everyone’s in good spirits, and we’re having fun.”

The Red Wings want that to continue, and they want everyone empowered to lead.

“It might be the young Swedes setting up something,” Seider said. “Just take charge of something. Do something on your own. Set something up. Do something for the guys. It can be as little as setting up coffee for everyone.”

The leadership group meets to discuss everything from how the team is playing to how it travels. McLellan said everyone has a voice.

Asked if he and Raymond were doing more as liaisons between the coaches and players, Seider said: “No. I think, honestly, no. It’s pretty chill, honestly. We have a great group of guys in here. If there are things that need to be addressed within the team going forward to the coaches, I think, yeah, we’ll talk to them, but I think everyone is kind of having the mindset now that we always know Todd’s door is open. You can walk into his office no matter what.

“I think that’s something we try to emphasize in the locker room too. If you guys have a problem, don’t wait. Don’t sit on it. Usually, it doesn’t make it any better. If there’s something that needs to be cleared up, let’s do it right away. I think everybody’s feeling better afterwards. It might not be resolved, but I think everybody can move forward.”

DeBrincat said the dynamic has been good during games.

“We’ve had a couple letdowns here and there, and we address it in the locker room,” DeBrincat said. “I mean, even before Todd comes in, we all know what he’s going to say. We all say it ourselves. I feel like we’re really doing a good job of holding each other accountable this year and being a team, pulling the same rope. No one’s better than (anyone else), and we’re going to continue with that attitude and stick to the process.”

That includes Larkin. He missed the preseason and the first two regular-season games with an upper-body injury. He was booed during introductions at the opener Oct. 2 and when he returned to play Oct. 6. But he turned the boos into cheers with a goal and an assist during his season debut, and the boos quieted during his second game Friday.

“I think some guys have stepped up, but everyone for the most part, you’re just being yourself,” DeBrincat said. “Even ‘Larks.’ I mean, it doesn’t matter if he has a ‘C’ on his jersey or not. He’s still going to be the leader he is. That doesn’t change anything. When we go into the game, we’re a team.”