High focus level evident, excitement for season ahead keeps brewing on Day 2 of Red Wings’ 2025 Training Camp

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Much like Day 1, there was no shortage of enthusiasm expressed among the Detroit Red Wings on Day 2 of their 2025 Training Camp at Centre ICE Arena on Friday morning as it pertains to what the club can accomplish in the upcoming campaign.

“I think there’s a really good mix of everything up and down throughout the lineup,” goalie John Gibson said. “You come here, it’s really exciting. You have some of the highest skill players in the world, some really big guys on the team that can protect pucks and are hard in front of the net. It’s about making sure everyone is on the same page and playing together.”

That’s one of the main tasks for Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan and his staff in Traverse City – ensuring the players know what the standard is and the foundation that they’ll keep building on.

“We had some goals set in regard to structure, and I believe we got that accomplished,” McLellan said. “Day 2 tends to be a little more ragged than Day 1. After Day 1, you feel it and you get up early then have to do it all over again. Sometimes, it’s ragged. The drills are designed to slow it down a little bit. We do a little more instruction, if you will.”

McLellan expanded on the topic of instilling structure, describing how that process is different at Training Camp compared to being in the midst of the regular season.

“We’re not going to skip a grade, if you will, right now,” McLellan said. “We’re going right back to the lower levels, going to figure out the basics and make sure we get caught up in all that type of stuff. Then, we’ll begin to tweak things. It’s always much easier to do when you have your team or you get down to real workable numbers. Right now, we’re working at the lower level of structure stuff…There will be some changes obviously. We have more time to implement stuff. Last year, we didn’t even talk about face-offs other than coverages, so we’ll have more time to put all of that stuff into play.”

Gibson, acquired by Detroit via trade from the Anaheim Ducks on July 1, is one of the new faces who are quickly learning the ins and outs of the group itself.

“I want to help the team win as many games as possible, and I think everybody’s goal is to make it to the playoffs,” Gibson said. “It’s a long season. You’re going to have ups and downs, but I think everybody is going into the season with the same goal and it’s an exciting time to be here.”

Patrick Kane said it’s “a great thing, first and foremost” to see how excited Gibson is to be a member of the Red Wings.

“He’s made some incredible saves in these scrimmages so far,” Kane said about the 32-year-old netminder. “It was a great addition by the organization and management. Obviously, Talbs [Cam Talbot] was great for us last year too. We have all the confidence in the world in him, but that’s a great one-two punch for us.”

As for the individual workload Gibson and Talbot could each take on in 2025-26, McLellan said that's still too early to predict for either netminder.

“Inevitably, we usually sit down and come up with numbers,” McLellan said. “There are so many unforeseen circumstances – somebody gets hot, an injury. There could be so many different things that throw that ratio out of whack, so it’s a futile exercise. We’ll start the season and see where it takes us.”

McLellan also said the coaching staff will continue to experiment with the line combinations moving forward.

“I would caution everybody: don’t read into the lines,” McLellan said. “My son called me yesterday and said, ‘You’re starting so-and-so?’ I said, ‘What do you mean I’m starting so-and-so with so-and-so?’ He goes, ‘Well, it’s all over the news. The lines are going to be like this.’ And I’m going, ‘Cale, no.’

“We’re moving people around. I think we have to give the younger players every opportunity to experience being on a line with some veterans and see how that goes. But please don’t read into the lines. And good luck guessing, because I don’t even know what we’re doing tomorrow yet.”