Your first thought regarding the 5-foot-8, 180-pound DeBrincat might not be that he’s a physical presence. However, if that is indeed your mindset, McLellan believes it’s in need of adjustment.

Copp went into the corner Feb. 22 — the Detroit Red Wings' first game after the 4-Nations Tournament break — as a melee broke out after Alex DeBrincat's big hit on Minnesota's Brock Faber.

There’s no question that it was DeBrincat who sought out Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke, hounding the much bigger man as he tried to skate up the ice and making it clear that Peeke wasn’t ...