Detroit Red Wings: Michael Rasmussen finally cementing his role

The Detroit Red Wings have been invested in Michael Rasmussen since the 2017 NHL Entry Draft when the team selected him as the ninth overall pick. He has taken his time, but some six years later, he is stepping up and starting to cement his role with the team in 2022-23.

For the Detroit Red Wings, it’s got to be a testament to the team’s development staff and the ability to stay the course & keep working with Rasmussen. He has come a long way from the early days with the organization.

It has taken time and a ton of development, but the 23-year-old forward is settling in nicely, finding a groove with the Red Wings and producing as well. Coming up, there was thought that he would be an up-and-coming center to fall in behind Dylan Larkin with the Red Wings offense, which was far from the case.

Some lackluster performances and trial by fire with Rasmussen have led to a long road of development. As much as there might be room for scrutiny towards the Red Wings development staff and minor league coaches, they have done an excellent job over the last few years with Rasmussen.

Detroit Red Wings Michael Rasmussen is cementing his role.

The Red Wings have seen Rasmussen starting to tap into the scoring that he showed he could bring to the table. Rasmussen has the sixth-most points among all Red Wings forwards and the eighth-most amongst all Red Wings.

In 2022-23, Rasmussen has logged 43 games where he has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 total points. He’s on pace to surpass his career-high 27 points that he had in 2021-22 over 80 games played.

He’s playing really well and even earning himself more playing time this season, with his average time on ice improving up to 15:06, which is above all of his last three seasons in a Red Wings uniform.

The Red Wings have gotten him to lock things in offensively, giving him more time on the wing and playing him there more than up the middle, which was a conversion they had made. But the Red Wings have been able to see him excel at, also getting him into the top six with more opportunities.

Rasmussen has been able to get it done in the offensive zone, using his size to his advantage and creating scoring chances. He has also been playing with some fire which is nice to see. He’s getting involved with scrums, using his size/body to finish checks, and playing with some passion.

The Red Wings have to be happy with how he has settled in and started to cement himself as a part of this Red Wings team on both sides of the ice.