In first practice back at home following their lengthy road trip, Red Wings’ ‘spirits were up and had energy’

DETROIT -- With the New York Islanders and Utah Mammoth set to visit Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively, head coach Todd McLellan noted how the Detroit Red Wings must now put their recent six-game road trip in the rearview mirror.

“That long trip was like a segment for us,” McLellan said following Monday morning’s practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BEFLOR Training Center. “We played well and did a lot of good things, but it’s over though. It’s time to move on and start here at home. That is not always an easy thing to do, but we’re going to attack it.”

McLellan also explained why he “doesn’t completely buy into” the theory that teams are a bit sluggish upon playing at home after a long road swing because it can take time to reset.

“Especially after having a practice day like we had, it’s not like we came from the West Coast,” McLellan said. “We gained time zones coming back and had a day off yesterday. I thought we had a good practice today. Guys brought it. Their spirits were up and had energy, so there’s no reason for us to fall into that ‘Hey, you’re just getting home from a long road trip, you’re not supposed to play well’ trap.”

In terms of updates from their on-ice session, the Red Wings saw Mason Appleton, who has been out since Nov. 29 with a lower-body injury, rejoin the group but were without Patrick Kane, who McLellan said is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

“He tweaked something in Chicago [on Saturday night],” McLellan said about Kane, who sits just two goals shy of becoming the sixth American-born player in NHL history to score 500 career goals. “Obviously, he was good enough to finish the game, but we’ll keep him out for these next two and see where it goes from there.”

As a result, ahead of Monday’s practice, Detroit announced it recalled John Leonard from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

“I’m extremely excited, obviously very grateful for it,” said Leonard, who has appeared in 70 regular-season contests with the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and Arizona Coyotes since 2020-21. “It’s been a full year since I’ve played a game in the NHL, so I’m pretty excited for it.”

In 20 games with the Griffins this season, Leonard has tallied a team-leading 19 goals and 29 points. What’s more, the former sixth-round pick (No. 182 overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft currently ranks first in goals and game-winning goals (7) among all AHL skaters.

“In Grand Rapids, everyone’s been off to a really good start,” Leonard said. “It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of. It’s a really tight-knit group down there. It starts with the coaching staff and management. We got really close right away, and I think that’s translated really well on the ice. It’s been a good start, obviously, the first 20-25 games down there.”

The 27-year-old forward practiced in Kane’s place on Detroit’s second line, skating alongside Andrew Copp and Alex DeBrincat.

“That should suit his game,” McLellan said about Leonard. “That alone should give him a signal that we’re confident enough to put him there…He just needs to be John and play like how John does down there up here. He’s been in the League before, so I don’t have to talk to him a lot. There’s review after, but let’s give him a chance first.”