While Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, and Lucas Raymond continued their quest for a gold medal overseas in Milan, the rest of the Detroit Red Wings returned to work on Tuesday afternoon.
The players hit the ice at the BELFOR Training Center inside of Little Caesars Arena for a brisk practice session, their first since earlier this month prior to the start of the Olympic break.
While the bad news is that the Red Wings earned only six of a possible 14 points up for grabs in the standings heading into the break, the good news is that they're only one point out of second place in the Atlantic Division.
Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan noted that while the session was a bit "ragged" as players regained their footing, he liked the pace of the session while also saying the break was beneficial.
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"It was good for everybody, I'm sure also for the media to just take a short period and catch your wind, and now it'll get going again," McLellan said. "As far as today goes, 2:00 in the afternoon practice, they're professional athletes, and they take care of themselves while they've been away."
"But they just haven't skated or handled pucks at that pace, so a little bit ragged, but as expected," he said. "I thought their commitment to the practice was good, they stuck with i,t and when they weren't feeling the best, they pushed their way through it."
"A good starting day."
With the aforementioned three Olympians still overseas, the Red Wings summoned both Sheldon Dries and Austin Watson from the Grand Rapids Griffins to take part in their upcoming practice sessions.
Additionally, defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who has missed the last seven games after sustaining an injury in their 2-1 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 21, was on the ice.
As McLellan put it, he "absolutely" expects Edvinsson to be in Detroit's lineup by the time the schedule resumes on Feb. 26.
"Absolutely, we expect him to be ready based on where he's at right now, and looking into the future with the trainers and everyone's involvement, he should be ready," McLellan said.
Edvinsson had been paired with Seider on Detroit's top defensive pairing, one of the best in the NHL. His absence was clearly felt, and his return will be a welcome sight for the Red Wings as they inevitably focus on attempting to returning to the postseason for the first time in a decade.
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