The Detroit Red Wings have officially hired Todd McLellan as the new head coach, making a change behind the bench one day after Christmas. But before Detroit could make the hiring official, they had to handle some contract matters with the Los Angeles Kings.
According to Pierre LeBrun of TSNMcLellan, who was recently fired by the Kings, had one year remaining on his $5.5 million contract with Los Angeles. The Red Wings and Kings reportedly spent the morning negotiating how to handle the financial terms attached to McLellan’s existing deal before finalizing his move to Detroit.
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LeBrun wrote:
“McLellan was still receiving $5.5 million from the Kings this season for the final year of that contract. The Kings and Red Wings were negotiating this morning on how that would be resolved as part of McLellan signing a new deal with Detroit.”
McLellan’s hiring comes shortly after the Red Wings fired Derek Lalonde, reflecting the organization’s urgency to turn things around. Although outside of the playoffs, Detroit hopes to push for playoff contention. Bringing in McLellan – a big name with a big contract – demonstrates a will to win. He is known for his extensive NHL coaching experience and playoff appearances.
The Red Wings made a big move to hire a new coach
Some fans may have wondered why it took Detroit so long to make a change. Part of this could be due to the owners’ hesitancy to make a mid-season change. But when they finally pulled the trigger, the organization grew.
McLellan is known for holding players accountable, while also being a players’ coach. Cam Talbot said about hiring: “I think he’s a great coach. I love playing for him… I’ve loved Todd since I came back to Edmonton. He’s extremely detailed. He knows when to push, knows when to back off. He’s really good at that. He’s a good communicator.”
The complexities of NHL coaching contracts clearly factored into all of this and the timing of the change. The Red Wings had to settle their financial obligations – what the Columbus Blue Jackets were would have tried to do this offseason but I couldn’t. In this case, the Kings and Red Wings reached terms that allowed Detroit to move forward with McLellan while still meeting remaining financial commitments owed by Los Angeles.
We will see if this decision pays off. As for McLellan, it’s a nice late Christmas present. He gets a huge chunk of the money he’s owed in Los Angeles, but also gets a good head coaching job on an original six-team NHL roster of solid young talent.
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