Andrew Copp has been a bit of a polarizing figure in his time with the Red Wings. Many look at his contract and expect a lot from him, and rightfully so. When you have a contract of his size then you have the right to expect a lot from him.
The problem is that Andrew Copp has never been the type of player that many fans expect him to be. He's a middle-six grinding center who can be reliably placed on the Penalty Kill and also cover up for the defensive deficiencies of his linemates. In fact, he showed a lot of that after McLellan took over in the 2nd half of the season when he was placed on the 2nd line to center Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. This worked fantastically, with Copp being able to do the things that DeBrincat and Kane physically couldn't do as well as cover up any defensive issues that could arise from playing with the two.
It would be disingenuous of me if I didn't talk about the start to his season. Many forget, but he actually started on the 2nd line as the left wing to J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane. However, due to team injuries, he was moved down the lineup to center the 4th line of Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer. Much like the entirety of the bottom six, they did not perform in the same way they did last season. Copp himself seemed to struggle quite a bit in nearly every facet of his game. His defense dropped, and his offense was pretty much nonexistent.
Overall Grade: B-
Copp is a player who, if he were making $3 to $4 million per year, nobody would be complaining about his performance. But he's not, he's making over $5 million, and he's scoring 30-40 points a season. However, Copp plays a more vital role than many realized. He may not be the flashiest player or score a lot. But he brings something to the team that you don't often notice when he's in the lineup, but when he's gone, you can tell things look and feel different within the lineup.
I'm not gonna say that Copp's contract was a good one, or that he's lived up to it. But he's been what he was billed as being. That is a 2-way center who's reliable in the faceoff circle and can be comfortably played on the penalty kill. He's never been much more than that in his career, outside of his 2021-22 season that got him his current contract with the Red Wings.
Honestly, I've never held Copp liable for his contract. All he did was push his chips in, and the Red Wings bit. I understand why they did, but it doesn't mean it was the right decision. But regardless of his contract status, Copp plays his role and plays it really well. That's why he was graded as a B-.