PREVIEW: Red Wings eager to kick off Centennial season, host Canadiens for Opening Night on Thursday

DETROIT – Hockeytown faithful, let’s get this Centennial season started.

Kicking off their highly anticipated 2025-26 campaign, the Detroit Red Wings will host the Montreal Canadiens for Opening Night, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.

“We’ve been waiting for it all summer, even when we’ve been working hard as individuals and during Training Camp as a team,” Lucas Raymond said. “Just excited to get out there and get going again.”

Puck drop between Detroit (0-0-0; 0 points) and Montreal (0-1-0; 0 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). All ticketed fans will receive a Centennial Rally Towel, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, upon entry to Little Caesars Arena.

And fans of all ages with or without game tickets can cheer on the team before Thursday’s season opener with the annual Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk in the Plaza outside Little Caesars Arena. Gates will open at 2:30 p.m. and more information about the free event can be found here.

“Ever since my first year here, it’s been unbelievable playing in front of [Red Wings fans] every night,” Raymond said. “They are unreal night in and night out, and that gives us that extra energy and boost. Excited to get out there, feel the atmosphere. It’s going to be a fun night.”

There’s certainly a lot of optimism around this year’s squad, and having three prospects -- Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Emmitt Finnie and Axel Sandin-Pellikka – all set to make their NHL debuts on Thursday night only adds to the excitement.

The pregame message being shared to that rookie trio, McLellan revealed, is simple.

“Just play,” McLellan said. “We’re not going to overburden them. There are enough nerves and anxious around. Their families are in, Game No. 1, home opener, 100-year celebration…like, there’s a lot going on that they can get caught up in. The last thing they need is us in their ears. They’ve been around us now for almost a month. They know what they have to do and they know how to do it, or they wouldn’t be in the lineup. So, we’re just going to get out of the way and hopefully they play a fearless-type game.”

Set to start his first full season as the Red Wings’ bench boss, McLellan also wasn’t afraid to admit that he had some butterflies in his stomach following Thursday’s morning skate.

“You plan all summer, go through Training Camp and try to get your team together and organized,” McLellan said. “You really have nothing to base your judgements on. I call it evidence. That’s why you play the games now, and the players give you evidence and a guideline as to where you take the group. Do we have to keep pounding some basics into them or can we grow the team? The first [regular-season game] is always a little unpredictable. Those nerves can get to you. You can overplay or underplay, but counting on the group to show up and put a good effort in.”

Detroit is looking to build off a 2024-25 season in which it finished sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 39-35-8 (86 points) record and just five points behind Montreal for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot.

The Red Wings made significant strides after McLellan was named to his respective position on Dec. 26, 2024. The forward steps that were made, combined with the new and returning faces in the lineup as well as the positive energy that always comes with Opening Night, has McLellan and his players feeling upbeat about their potential this season.

“This is the first Training Camp that I had with this group, and I think their attention and work that they’ve put in throughout allows them to have a bit of a foundation heading into the season,” McLellan said. “I don’t know what it’s been like in the past. I just know how it feels right now. The simple fact that we’ve done that gives us a chance.”

Embracing a grounded approach regardless of what highs and lows come their way over the next several months will be key, Raymond believes.

“We want to get off to a good start, but it’s a long season,” Raymond said. “There are a lot of games and it’s going to be a tight schedule this year, so for us it’s just going day-by-day and game-by-game. We’re looking to take steps during the season and put ourselves in a good spot down the stretch. It starts tonight. I think everyone is excited to get out there. We’ve been working hard, and I like where we are as a team.”

The Canadiens started their season on Wednesday, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Oliver Kapanen and Zack Bolduc scored, while netminder Sam Montembeault made 22 saves for Montreal.

“[Head coach Martin St. Louis] has been there a number of years now and has done a tremendous job,” McLellan said. “Their roster hasn’t changed a whole lot. Every coach makes adjustments. Yes, we’ll give them a pre-scout, and we’ll have to try to create a picture of what it’s going to feel like to play against the Canadiens or the Leafs and any other team. But really, we can overcook that a little bit too. It’s a lot more about us and what we want to do, and can we get to that quickly or can we maintain it more than what they’re doing.”