Detroit Red Wings: Michael Rasmussen looking to piece it all together

The Detroit Red Wings lost out on an entire season of Michael Rasmussen after an injury shut things down early. The Red Wings forward took a shot off the knee-cap and found himself on the Injured Reserve (IR) for the remainder of the season.

There was some initial hope that he could return if the injury were not too severe, but after further diagnoses, it was noted that Rasmussen’s season was over. The Detroit Red Wings announced he would miss the rest of the season.

But after plenty of time this summer to recover, Rasmussen is going to be back on the ice looking to get back into the swing of things when the team hits the ice once again. Rasmussen really started to find his game and was settling in well for the Red Wings, so there has to be hope around what his return to the ice could bring.

In 2022-23, it felt like Rasmussen had figured things out and settled into a role with the team, getting the job done for the Red Wings in a bottom-six role. Rasmussen is one of those forwards who could very well fit into the bottom six if he can find that success once again.

Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen is looking to “find it” again.

The Red Wings have to be hoping that he can find it once again and be the same player he was before his season was cut short. Rasmussen set a career-high in points this season in fewer games played in some of his prior seasons.

In 2022-23, Rasmussen logged 56 games with ten goals and 19 assists for 29 total points while also managing a plus-two rating, something he has done been able to do since joining the Red Wings at the NHL level in any of the last three seasons before 2022-23.

For the Red Wings, tapping into the offense and being someone who can set up scoring chances and get things done on both ends of the ice will be huge. After all, he was one of the players who brought some physicality to his game, so getting him into the mix will help Steve Yzerman achieve his goal of being more physical this upcoming season.

While it’s not that Rasmussen will go out and pot 25 goals or even put up 80 points. But if he can go into the Red Wings’ bottom six and be a producer, the team has to be happy with it. The key for Rasmussen will be getting his feet under him after missing so much time as the injury ended his season, and he will be picking back up as the fall continues.

It will be interesting to see how Rasmussen slots in with the plethora of moves made, but he will play a role upon his return, that’s for sure.