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The Detroit Red Wings will name former Edmonton Oilers coach Todd Nelson as the new man in charge of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday.
They aren’t as certain as to when they will announce the coaches that will work under new head coach Jeff Blashill in Detroit.
“We’re working on it,” Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. “We’re hopeful of getting the staff (completed) by the end of the week, but it might take a little longer.”
When they do make the announcement of who will work under Blashill, don’t expect to hear one name that’s been bandied about as a likely part of the staff. Former Red Wing Chris Chelios, the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman, won’t be an assistant coach with the team.
Instead, Chelios – listed as a special advisor to hockey operations with the Red Wings – will fill a role with Detroit that he has for the three years he worked with Blashill while the latter was the coach in Grand Rapids. Chelios will take on special assignments working with the Red Wings defensemen.
“Basically it’s the same role I had in Grand Rapids,” Chelios said. “I’m not going to be on the bench.”
It’s a role he enjoyed in Grand Rapids and one that he looks forward to continuing at the NHL level.
“It’s going to be great,” Chelios said. “I worked with Blash the last two years.
“The team had a lot of success and it was a lot of fun helping out.”
It will also leave Chelios free to pursue other opportunities, such as working as an assistant coach with the U.S. world junior team next season.
Wednesday, Chelios was named to Ron Wilson’s staff for the 2016 world junior tourney in Helsinki, Finland.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity for Chris to work with the world juniors,” Holland said. “He can network, watch young players, and continue to gather information.”
When the Wings do name Blashill’s staff, expect two coaches to be named. One will be Tony Granato, an assistant under Mike Babcock who will be returning to the Wings armed with a new contract.
The other could possibly be Derek Lalonde, coach of the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. The Wings have a working agreement with Toledo and Lalonde was hired by them to coach the team. He’s also quite close with Blashill and coaches tend to want someone on their staff who they can trust implicitly to tell them the truth.
Lalonde was a finalist for the head coaching position with Grand Rapids.
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