McLellan: Red Wings forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is “getting closer” to his first NHL goal against Kraken

The Detroit Red Wings are preparing for a return to game action with a clear storyline centered on forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård. Head coach Todd McLellan indicated that Brandsegg-Nygård’s first NHL goal is only a matter of time, framing the ongoing search for the milestone as more a question of timing and opportunities than ability.

McLellan’s comments arrive as the Red Wings open another chance to turn that belief into a result. Detroit returns to the ice Friday evening against the Seattle Kraken, a matchup that gives Brandsegg-Nygård another opportunity to convert at the NHL level and add his name to the scoresheet for the first time.

From the coach’s perspective, the narrative is simple: when a player is creating the right circumstances, the finishing has a habit of coming with continued looks. McLellan’s posture suggests the Red Wings view Brandsegg-Nygård as a developing offensive contributor who is earning chances, even if the breakthrough goal has not yet arrived.

For Detroit, that mindset matters because the early season is often defined by small margins. When a forward who is trusted to play regularly begins pushing for his first goal, it can influence line stability and how a coaching staff measures progress beyond points. Even without making any claims about the player’s statistical pace, McLellan’s language implies confidence that the work has been moving in the right direction.

The opponent, Seattle, also shapes the spotlight. The Kraken are a team that can create structure in their own zone and challenge opponents to generate clean looks rather than hope for deflections. If Brandsegg-Nygård is to reach his first goal, the Red Wings likely need to keep placing him in positions where those chances feel repeatable, not rare.

What to watch next is whether this series of opportunities translates into a goal sooner rather than later. If Brandsegg-Nygård finds the net against Seattle, it would validate McLellan’s “only a matter of time” assessment and potentially shift the tone around Detroit’s forward group for the next stretch of games. If the goal still does not come, the storyline may linger, but it would also test whether the Red Wings can sustain the conditions that the coach believes will eventually produce the breakthrough.