The second line stepped up massively down the stretch
Marco Kasper: A+
77GP 19G 18A 37Pts
Marco Kasper didn't start the season on the Red Wings, but it took the Red Wings all of four games to bring Kasper up, and he was fantastic from the start. He was fairly snake bitten after starting on the third line under Lalonde, but once McLellan took over, he shot to the moon.
I'm not sure what it was that snapped or clicked in Kasper at the turn of the year, but neither I nor any Red Wings fans are complaining. He became the leading rookie goal scorer in 2025 and nearly broke 20 goals, all while playing on the top line with Larkin and Raymond, or centering the second line with Kane and DeBrincat. If this season wasn't just rookie luck, then the Red Wings likely just found their future 2C.
Alex DeBrincat: A+
82GP 39G 31A 70Pts
Coming into this season, we were hoping that DeBrincat would step up from where he was in his first season with the Red Wings, and I'm confident in saying that he blew last season out of the water. Going from 27 goals to 39 goals this season.
Scoring wasn't the only thing he seemingly improved on, however. He also looked really good defensively. At least, in comparison to expectations. He was never afraid of going to the hard areas, especially considering his size. He sits alongside and maybe even above Raymond as the Red Wings' most consistent performers all season.
Patrick Kane: A-
72GP 21G 38A 59Pts
What else is there to say about Patrick Kane, other than he's still Patrick Kane? His second season with the Red Wings was even better than his first, accruing 12 more points than the previous season. Becoming more of a power play specialist, he managed to essentially run the Red Wings power play up into the top five of the league for at least half of the season.
The only reason he doesn't get an A+ next to his name is that his effort without the puck is pretty lackluster, and he was never able to generate much at 5-on-5. Defensively, he was better than expected, but overall, he was just about what you would expect a 36-year-old Patrick Kane to be.