DET-TOR 12:27:24

DETROIT – Todd McLellan will make his debut as head coach and Trent Yawney as assistant coach of the Detroit Red Wings when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Little Caesars Arena on Friday night.

Puck drop between the Red Wings (13-17-4; 30 points) and Maple Leafs (21-12-2; 44 points) is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). The Original Six and Atlantic Six rivals last played on Dec. 14, which Detroit won, 4-2.

“Trent Yawney and I aren’t waving a wand and changing forechecks, neutral zones, D-zones and power play,” McLellan said after Friday’s morning skate. “We just don’t have time. But what we’ve asked the players to do is to play harder, faster and a little bit smarter. Those are three simple things that I think we can control without any type of tactics or systematic structure play. And then the last thing is the spirit of the team has to improve. When something like this happens, obviously the spirit of the team is at a low, and we’re going to work hard to build that back up.”

On Thursday afternoon, Detroit announced that head coach Derek Lalonde and associate coach Bob Boughner were relieved of their respective duties.

“I really like Derek and [Boughner] as guys,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “They’re really good people, especially the time that it happened is awkward. Felt like something needed to happen and now we move forward. We had a great first day with Todd. Right when it happened, it was difficult to see, but we move forward and hopefully continue to look at the big picture and develop this further.”

McLellan, who served as an assistant coach with the Red Wings for three seasons (2005-08), brings 16 seasons of NHL head-coaching experience with three different clubs (Los Angeles Kings from 2019-24, Edmonton Oilers from 2015-19 and San Jose Sharks from 2008-15) back to Detroit.

According to the 57-year-old, he wants to build an atmosphere in which players can trust him.

“One thing that I know I can’t do is overreact, overcoach, over-teach, over-meet with players because it’s just going to be too much,” McLellan said. “But after that it’s timing, it’s opportunity with players, meeting after practice time. I don’t know if they’re going to feel comfortable with Trent and I, or if I feel comfortable with them until who knows when. But in the meantime, we’ll create relationships.”

Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman also discussed the changes to the Red Wings’ coaching staff on Friday morning, outlining the pros and cons of bringing in a new bench boss at this stage of the season.

“You take the schedule into it,” Yzerman said. “You take the Christmas break into it. You’re going to bring in a new coach today, like coming in for the very first day without any practice time is not ideal. But you’re looking at it, and there’s no ideal time to do that.”

Friday’s matchup marks an opportunity to bounce back on home ice for the Red Wings, who dropped their third straight game on Monday in a 4-0 shutout loss to the St. Louis Blues.

“It’s on us, ultimately,” Larkin said. “It’s on the players to build this thing, that’s the big picture. Hopefully, Todd can build up us and the other younger players in this room.”

Currently second in the Atlantic Division, Toronto also lost at home on Monday, taking a 5-2 setback against the Winnipeg Jets. In the defeat, the Maple Leafs’ second in a row, John Tavares scored two goals and goalie Joseph Woll made 20 saves.

Mitch Marner paces Toronto in assists (36) and points (46) this season, and behind him is William Nylander, who has 40 points and a team-high 23 goals. Tavares ranks third on the club’s scoring leaderboard with 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists). As for captain Auston Matthews, he’s fourth with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) but will miss his third straight game on Friday due to an upper-body injury.

“I think we’re going to be a team that’s playing with a lot of heart, a lot of character and a lot of spirit tonight,” Moritz Seider said. “I think the outcome doesn’t really matter, but we’re going to be a good hockey team for a full 60 minutes and that’s most important. That was [McLellan’s] message, and I think everyone is believing in it.”