The Detroit Red Wings know that Dylan Larkin is gone. Even if he reported to training camp this week, his convenient upper-body injury precluded the need for the club to actually put him on the ice with the rest of the squad.
That’s no surprise.
But it also led to the eventual contingency plan that the organization would need to put into action. And that plan became Andrew Copp taking over the top line.
Detroit’s camp lines featured Copp with Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. Those are two high-end wingers. But the question would be: Can Copp hang with the team’s two best scorers?
On the surface, the answer is yes. Copp is no stranger to being a top-six center. But that was some time ago. At this point, the jury is still out on whether the 32-year-old can prove he can be the 42-point guy he was back in 2022-23.
Unfortunately, Copp has been on a steady decline since then. And unless he can find another gear in the final year of his current contract, Red Wings fans could see the team’s top line be woefully underserved.
Unless Larkin comes back and actually plays, the reality is that it will be up to Copp to keep the Red Wings’ hopes alive this season.
And that may be asking too much of the veteran center.
Andrew Copp entering crucial contract year with Red Wings
As stated earlier, Copp will be entering the final year of his current contract. Copp signed a five-year deal worth $28.13 million in the summer of 2022. The expectation was that he would slot behind Larkin and provide the team with a solid 2C.
That hasn’t really materialized. Yet, Copp has held a role in the team amid the club’s lack of power down the middle.
For a while, it looked like Marco Kasper could become that answer. And while the organization still believes in Kasper, the 22-year-old isn’t ready to be the top-line pivot.
That’s why the Red Wings don’t really have many options. Copp has to work out in Larkin’s absence. And since there is no real timing for a potential trade, it’s just better for Andrew Copp to take over the top line right off the bat. Perhaps the chemistry with DeBrincat and Raymond allows the line to work as best as it possibly can.
However, one thing remains clear: Unless one of Kasper or Nate Danielson can emerge as a bona fide top-six center, the responsibility will fall on Copp to be the guy this season. Yes, the Red Wings would like to trade for a legit top-line center. Those, alas, are hard to come by. Perhaps there might be one such player available on the market.
But until such a player lands in Detroit, the Red Wings won’t another choice.
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