Detroit Red Wings best kept secret: Lucas Raymond

I wrote recently about the topic of the Detroit Red Wings and if they need a true superstar to win. 

The responses were to be expected. The majority of folks on the Twitterverse replied with a “yes” of some kind. Quite a few had the response that I suspected the post would result in: that we need to tank and keep getting high draft picks and/or sign a big free agent to find success. Some fans made me happy by posting about hopeful prospects coming through the Detroit Red Wings system. Maybe one or two will turn into the superstars we hope they will be.

Secretly, I hoped people would come together and say, we already have one. After seeing the Detroit Red Wings and one budding career, I grew hopeful that we might all recognize and appreciate the unbelievable story unfolding in front of my eyes.

That didn’t happen, though, so let me elaborate further about our superstar player.

Detroit Red Wings have a rising superstar in Lucas Raymond

It’s weird to me. 

As of writing this, Lucas Raymond sits in 18th place (technically tied for 17th in the league with Quinn Hughes) overall in the National Hockey League (NHL) based on total points with 51 points in 39 games played. For context, he’s right behind Sidney Crosby who has 51 points but played in two more games (I know, he’s older but any time we can dunk on Sid the Kid it’s a good day, right?), and right ahead of Sam Reinhart who has scored 52 points in 49 games. He’s ahead of Artemi Panarin (two fewer games played), Tim Stützle, and John Tavares—to name the next few on the list.

(On a side note, the bum of a captain that people keep dogging, Dylan Larkin [noted not a number one center outside of the Detroit Red Wings, is getting too old, doesn’t have the elite talent we need], has more points than Matthew Tkachuk, Nico Hischier, and Tavares, and is tied with Stützle in 33rd overall in the NHL based on total points with 45 points in 48 games played.)

Raymond is well-balanced with his scoring, too. He’s scored 19 goals and earned 33 assists. It adds to his toolkit where teams can’t just take away passing or scoring lanes. 

What’s even cooler is when we see moments like we did against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena. Raymond created, dare I say, magic? I will. He created magic on the ice. He moved so methodically that every eye and body was drawn to him from the opposing team, leaving Alex DeBrincat with an empty net. There was a goalie, but like the rest of us, he was mesmerized by Raymond’s moves. I’m not sure if DeBrincat has ever scored such an easy goal in his life.

For as much as I loved the actual moment of Raymond’s moves, I enjoyed watching DeBrincat’s reaction equally as much. When the Detroit Red Wings are clicking, they’re a blast to watch on the ice.

The fact that Raymond is performing so well isn’t a surprise to Detroit Red Wings fans, but it seems like we are the only ones really tooting his horn. Whenever there’s a national broadcast of a game, they’ll focus on Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, and Raymond, but it hardly ever seems like Raymond is talked about outside these contexts. 

Why is a top-20 point-getter who is under 23 years of age not being discussed across the NHL? I couldn’t tell you.

What I can tell you, is the fact that Raymond has put up these point totals while bouncing between lines one and two to begin the season, switching coaching staffs, and having to face off against the highest levels of competition on a nightly basis makes him all the more special.

To add to his case, Raymond starts 54.55% of his shifts in the offensive zone as opposed to say, another high draft pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Level Draft in Stützle who sees 75.92% of his starts in the offensive zone. Raymond is asked to not only advance play away from his own end but also create offensive chances after moving the play up the ice. He’s also started 100 times in the defensive zone (as opposed to 59), 146 starts in the neutral zone (versus 123), and only 120 starts in the offensive zone (unlike the 186 starts others might have had so far this season). 

I’m not trying to make a case that Raymond is the best player from the 2020 NHL Entry Level Draft. All I’m saying is that there is a conversation to be had and Raymond has earned the right to be in the discussion even if nobody outside of the Detroit Red Wings fandom acknowledges his worth to the league.

He’s someone the Detroit Red Wings rely on to provide consistent, high-end play (though I think the longer things go on the closer I find myself fighting for his play to be titled as elite). His shot, wicked. Playmaking, ridiculous. Defensive play, only improving. 

Raymond doesn’t cheat or try to take shifts off. He’s not diving or embellishing plays but still draws his fair share of penalties through his hard work and determination to just get the puck.

Opponents target Raymond (and Larkin) relentlessly. He gets thrown around, literally, and he just takes it all in stride. Okay, sometimes he gets caught up in the heat of the moment, then yells at people. Rarely, though, does he lose his cool and take a dumb penalty.

I think Raymond is on the verge of breaking into the elite tier. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the NHL figures that out, but while we have the time, I’m glad we get to keep one of our best players out of the spotlight, if only for a few more games. 

Lord knows neither he nor the Detroit Red Wings need the craziness that comes with the superstar players around the NHL and how they are covered. For that reason alone, I reckon Raymond is just fine flying under the radar. He’s also never been one for personal accolades or achievements. Seemingly focused only on his team and winning, Raymond is truly a superstar in my book.