Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond’s regression will not be a problem
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings have gone through their exit interviews, and the off-season is more than underway. One of the things that Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde spoke about was the 2022-23 season that Lucas Raymond pieced together.
In his second season wearing a Detroit Red Wings sweater, Raymond saw a bit of a regression on the stat sheet and went through some struggles at times. However, there’s no reason to worry about him; he will be just fine.
Lalonde also spoke about Raymond’s struggles, giving him some credit for good reason. He noted Raymond made the jump to the NHL without time in the AHL and has not seen time in a Griffins uniform, and in year two, there will be some bumps in the path.
Raymond acknowledges that things were a little rough at times. But he wants to spend the off-season bulking up and improving things. In this MLive article, Raymond mentions that he wants to focus on his body and frame more this off-season, bulking up a bit.
Detroit Red Wings should not worry about Lucas Raymond.
The sophomore slump is very much real and plays a role in some prospects’ careers as they get settled in. Especially as players try to find their game and solidify roles, it was easy for him to lock down top-line minutes on a rough Red Wings team.
In 2022-23, there were some more exciting forwards who competed with him for playing time. However, Raymond will be just fine in due time as he continues to adjust to the National Hockey League and continue developing.
In his rookie campaign, Raymond was snubbed from Calder voting, but he played in all 82 games, where he managed 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 total points. Things were not as kind to him this year in 2022-23.
Over 74 games played in the Red Wings lineup this season, Raymond managed 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 total points. A step back with the offense, but Raymond still has a bright future ahead.
He’s shown why he will be a great player, and a bit of regression in 2022-23 will not matter much in the long run. He will come back in the 2023-24 season and be just fine as a part of the Red Wings’ forward core.
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There’s no reason to be worrying about Raymond and his sophomore slump. He will come back stronger (quite literally) and still find ways to be a considerable part of the Red Wings’ future moving forward.