The Detroit Red Wings jumped out to an 8-3 start heading into Friday's showdown with the Anaheim Ducks. But across the first leg of the season, not every player wearing the Winged Wheel has enjoyed a fun outing.
Some players, like Alex DeBrincat, have taken their productivity to another level, alongside names like Dylan Larkin and Emmitt Finnie. But whose performances have been a polar opposite from what fans have seen from the Red Wings' stars?
There are three players who come to mind. Now, because it's still early, all three of them can enjoy bounce-back stretches. Still, if they want to be focal points in this new era of Red Wings hockey, they need to start improving now.
Marco Kasper
The upside? Marco Kasper was heroic in Thursday night's win over the Los Angeles Kings. The downside? He had just three points (all goals) in 2025-26 heading into Friday night's game. Some of Kasper's numbers at even strength have also been flat, with just an 8.8 on-ice shooting percentage and an 84.4 on-ice save percentage.
But there's a lot of hope with Kasper, as recent history has already shown he can bounce back from slow starts, and Thursday's performance may have catapulted it. Also, his even-strength metrics aren't all bad, as he had a 54.5 Corsi For percentage, despite 43.5 percent of his starts coming in the offensive zone heading into Friday's game.
He's even more physical in 2025-26 than he was last season so far, and his face-off win percentage has jumped up to 49.5. If Kasper can get his points total up, he'll quickly remove the 'disappointment' label.
Michael Rasmussen
If Michael Rasmussen hasn't been an afterthought before, he is now. His average total ice time has tanked in 2025-26 to just 11:43, and he has three points and one goal in his first 10 games to show for his efforts, along with a minus-3 rating.
His physical play hasn't been as noticeable, and Rasmussen has yet to take advantage of the 54.1 percent of his starts in the offensive zone, with a Corsi For percentage clocking in at 50.2. Further, his on-ice shooting percentage remains in the single digits at 9.1, while his on-ice save percentage is a pedestrian 86.3.
Unlike Kasper, who has shown what he does when he gets hot, that's not the case for Rasmussen, who has had six seasons to prove he deserves a spot here. It should surprise you if Rasmussen isn't playing in another uniform later this season.
John Gibson
Give John Gibson all the credit you want for bouncing back from what was a horrid debut vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Still, he has allowed four or more goals in three of his six starts heading into Friday's matchup against his old team, the Anaheim Ducks.
Fans were also expecting Gibson to take the No. 1 spot in the crease, but that also hasn't materialized. Instead, he has been in a timeshare with Cam Talbot, and Gibson has yet to outplay the 38-year-old.
While Gibson still has time to get this right, he's so far garnered a 3.20 GAA, a 0.500 quality starts percentage, and a 0.876 save percentage. Those aren't numbers you want from a player who was supposed to be your No. 2 netminder.