The Detroit Red Wings announced the inevitable with the firing of head coach Derek Lalonde. The team showed life at the start of his tenure and even improved to 41 wins last season. But this year was a noticeable plateau under Lalonde, and Detroit made the only call they could.

In Lalonde’s place, the Red Wings hired Todd McLellan. The former San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings coach has over 15 years of NHL head coaching experience, and Detroit is hoping he can bring the team back to the postseason. It’s a gamble worth taking for the Red Wings organization, but the outcome won’t change as long as the roster construction remains the same.

McLellan is a good coach. He’s certainly an improvement over Lalonde, bringing more career wins and nine playoff appearances across three organizations, but he’s a band-aid. The wound in the Red Wings organization runs much deeper than who is behind the bench, and McLellan will be the next bench boss to fall victim to the lack of talent in Detroit

The Red Wings haven’t made the postseason since the 2015-2016 campaign. Long gone is the 30 year stretch where they were basically a perennial playoff team, capturing four Stanley Cups since 1996. The organization has been attempting to rebuild that dynasty for the last decade, with repeated failures along the way.

The current attempt to build the right core is another one of those missteps. They have good players. Captain Dylan Larkin will be a member of the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off and is a talented point producer. Lucas Raymond continues to improve and become the team’s best offensive player. Alex DeBrincat has speed and scoring capabilities. Top defensemen Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson give them quality minutes every night.

Beyond them, though, the roster is so far from a playoff one, let alone a championship one. They lack depth across every position and they’ve consistently failed with their analysis of goaltenders. For several seasons now, the organization has been banking on their overflow of young prospects breaking through to the NHL, but it’s still a waiting game.

That won’t help McLellan take this middling team to the postseason. He has some weapons to work with and his arrival is sure to reinvigorate the Red Wings players. It ultimately won’t matter though. It won’t change the outcome this year or next year or even the year after until their NHL lineup improves drastically.

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OUT: Bojan Bogdanovic (foot), De’Anthony Melton (knee), Cam Thomas (hamstring), Trendon Watford (hamstring), Ziaire Williams (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: Dorian Finney-Smith (calf), Ben Simmons (back)

OUT: AJ Johnson (illness), Chris Livingston (illness), Liam Robbins (Two-Way), Tyler Smith (G League)

QUESTIONABLE: Giannis Antetokounmpo (back), Damian Lillard (illness)

PROBABLE: Khris Middleton (ankle)

Each time the Brooklyn Nets have taken on the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024-25 campaign, they’ve boasted vastly different lineups. In their first meeting on Oct. 27, Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder combined for 61 points in a major upset victory.

Most recently, the Nets came up just short against the Bucks on Dec. 8 while riding Schroder’s 34 points to a five-point loss sans Thomas.

Neither Schroder nor Thomas will suit up for Brooklyn tonight, the former having departed for Golden State and the latter continuing to nurse a hamstring injury.

Trendon Watford and Ziaire Williams join Thomas as absentees, while Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons could enter that category themselves.

Milwaukee’s star trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton all may sit out this evening as well, forcing the Eastern Conference rivals to rely on a “next man up” mentality to secure the win.

As four key players carry the “questionable” tag ahead of tip-off, the third meeting this season may look quite different from its predacessors.

Nets-Bucks is slated for 8 p.m. EST.

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MINNEAPOLIS — A 38-year-old Minneapolis woman is accused of speeding through multiple red lights before causing a crash at Emerson Avenue North and 26th Avenue North that left two people dead and two injured.

Teniki Steward, 38, faces two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation. If convicted, she faces up 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

The crash killed Esther Jean Fulks and Rose Elaine Reece.

“Our office has been in close communication with the Minneapolis Police Department regarding this case, which was submitted to our office on Thursday and charged Friday,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.

“This was another completely avoidable incident of a car being driven irresponsibly with disastrous consequences. Our thoughts are with the surviving victims and with the families of the two members of our community who were killed.”

On Dec. 16, Minneapolis police responded to a crash at the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and 26th Avenue North.

Prosecutors said Steward was driving a Buick Enclave at a high rate of speed when she ran a red light at Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, nearly causing a collision.

Steward continued driving northbound on Emerson Avenue North at high speed, according to authorities.

As she approached 26th Avenue North, the traffic light for northbound traffic was red. Despite this, Steward entered the intersection at high speed and struck a Ford Explorer traveling eastbound, which was lawfully entering the intersection on a green light, authorities said.

The collision killed both individuals in the Ford Explorer. The force of the impact caused the Explorer to hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk, resulting in a third victim.

The passenger in the Buick Enclave also suffered injuries in the crash