VANCOUVER – The Detroit Red Wings are fine with Nate Danielson making mistakes. It's better than the alternative of playing like you're afraid of making them.
It's a message the coaching staff has tried to get across as, three weeks into the season, Danielson has struggled to show he belongs as a regular. The Wings (3-3-3) take a five-game point streak up against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, Oct. 22, but Danielson has been scratched for two of those games, most recently the 4-3 shootout loss against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. Simply put, he hasn't gained traction.
"No, he hasn't," coach Todd McLellan said after Wednesday's practice at Rogers Arena. "He's a really good, honest player. He wants to do well. I think sometimes you play so that
you don't err. That's probably not the best way of approaching it."
J.T. Compher's imminent return, possibly as soon as Thursday, will push Danielson down the depth chart, as the Wings would then go back to using 12 forwards (they've used 11 for five straight games with injuries to Compher as well as Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton, who aren't even on the trip.). Ideally, Danielson would have taken advantage of so many regulars on the sidelines to stake a claim on a job, but it's been a tough go.
"I definitely feel I can be better and kind of try to work towards that," Danielson said. "I feel like I do belong. I mean, I think it's kind of just getting to my game and just playing how I play, and that's how I'll be effective."
At his best, a 22-year-old forward drafted at No. 9 overall in 2023, he is using his superior skating to play well at both ends of the ice. His strength is his ability to move his feet and be a dependable two-way forward. The Wings want to see Danielson (two assists in seven games) establish his value in the lineup the way Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Anton Johansson have come in and done this fall. They're young – 21 and 22, respectively – but they have, as McLellan terms it, given themselves permission to be where they are.
"With our team, there's such a fine line between winning and losing," McLellan said. "We want the winning part from him and putting himself out on the line, and the drive and the passion and the energy. Brands has been able to bring that. Anton's been able to bring that. I think it's in Danny.
"He just has to make sure that he's not playing apprehensive."
It's what the coaching staff tries to drive home: Don't worry about making a mistake. Those are teachable moments.
"The ones that make the most mistakes during the game are wearing suits," McLellan said. "They're not in equipment. We're human. We have to admit that. We've got to work on our own game. For us to expect the players to be perfect would be a real grave mistake on our behalf.
"We want them to have the best night possible, but within that night is a game full of mistakes. That's what happens. We're trying to take those mistakes, use them as teaching tools, and trying to eliminate them. Now, if it's happening over and over and over again, it becomes more than just a mistake. It becomes a habit, and that's not good."
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Detroit Red Wings are helping Nate Danielson find some traction
