The first thing Todd McLellan felt needed changing when he took over the Wings was the mood. Thanks to an 11-4-1 record since arriving, it has.

The Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center on Wednesday morning before departing for Edmonton. Patrick Kane (upper body) and Vladimir Tarasenko (illness) both participated, but J.T. Compher (upper body) and Jeff Petry (undisclosed) did not.

Detroit prospect Red Savage’s Michigan State season has been ended by an upper body injury. The  only question now is what comes next for Savage. Will he sign with the Red Wings or wait until Aug. 15 and become an unrestricted free agent?

Veteran forward Andrew Copp said the Detroit Red Wings have a togetherness they lacked before head coach Todd McLellan was hired in late December.

The Red Wings aren't shaping up as an obvious buyer or seller at this year's deadline. But can they use it to look ahead to next season?

The Detroit Red Wings begin a four-game Western swing when they face the host Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Said Lucas Raymond: “When you’re winning, it makes things a lot easier and makes you even more focused to keep it that way. You don’t want to let that go. I think it’s the way we’ve been playing, which is probably the nicest feeling. It hasn’t been a coincidence. We worked really hard for it and we continue to do so every day.”

A rebuild in the NHL can be a grueling process. With the patience needed to develop prospects, and decide whether to add or subtract to the team and what each offseason has to offer, there aren’t many situations for a team to be in that are more stressful than this.

It is fascinating to look at the NHL over the same period of time. Kasper is right behind Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon in scoring (both have 12 points). Following behind him are Quinn Hughes (11), Mark Stone (11), and Connor McDavid (11).

Lucas Raymond is a big reason the Detroit Red Wings are doing so well, and Patrick Kane may soon rejoin the lineup.

Raymond was doing fine before McLellan became Detroit Red Wings coach on Dec. 26. Since then, his game has reached another level. He has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 16 games under McLellan. He ranks second in the NHL in points during this time, one behind Boston’s David Pastrnak.

Detroit — The feel-good story surrounding the Red Wings currently looks like it's going to stay around a bit longer. Dominik Shine, who made his NHL debut at age 31 in Monday's victory over Los Angeles, appears to be staying at least for the start of the Wings' upcoming four-game road trip Thursday in Edmonton.