The Detroit Red Wings have added a plethora of young players from the Grand Rapids Griffins into their lineup this season, and it is paying dividends. First, it was a trio of Swedish players: Jonatan Berggren, Albert Johansson, and Simon Edvinsson. These three players started the season with the big club in Detroit. Second, after scoring two points and fighting Colton Dach in the first two games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Marco Kasper was called up. Detroit Red Wings fans will remember that Dach was the guy who caught Lucas Raymond with a cheap late hit through center ice in the preseason. Finally, Elmer Söderblom was called up after a rash of injuries to a handful of Detroit Red Wings forwards. Now, I could probably write about each one of these players and how their additions have impacted the team, and maybe I will. Today, I want to highlight Kasper.
Detroit Red Wings young forward Marco Kasper is heating up with 13 points in his last 15 games
Kasper was moved to the top line with Larkin and Raymond on January 7th versus the Ottawa Senators in the third period as a way to shake up the lines in a game. The team was lacking offensive punch, and the trio hasn’t looked back since. Before the move, he had just seven points in 35 games. Nothing to write home about. If Kasper had started the season on the top line, he could have as many as 45 points in 49 games. Phenomenal for any player, let alone a 20-year-old rookie.
One might say that he should be scoring more since he is playing with better players, and I can agree with that to some extent. However, not just anyone can play with better players. Kasper needs to be able to keep up with the pace and IQ to play with (and even elevate) the better players. Also, Kasper must be better defensively because he would be up against the other team’s better players as well.
I’m kind of throwing out the first 35 games and starting his career fresh from the game on January 10th versus the Chicago Blackhawks, where he recorded one goal and one assist with three shots on net and 15:01 of ice time (TOI); his first game starting on the top line. Over the last eight games, the Detroit Red Wings have taken 15 out of a possible 16 points. Kasper recorded an average of 17:09 TOI per game. An increase of nearly three minutes per game. A season high of 20:31 on January 30th versus the Edmonton Oilers, where he was relied upon. Kasper and the Detroit Red Wings had to counter against two of the best players in the world, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, on Edmonton ice. He recorded five shots on net and was a key player in driving the offensive push to come back after an early 2-0 deficit. One assist, jumping on a loose puck in the defensive zone and connecting with Larkin on a stretch pass to clear the zone. Larkin converted on the five-hole on Stuart Skinner to tie the game at two. A plus-six rating in that time, often converting defense into offense Kasper soared.
The Detroit Red Wings are 15-4-1 over their last 20 games since Todd McLellan has taken over as head coach of the team. However, after the slow start and the teams around them going on winning streaks of their own, the Detroit Red Wings are still in the midst of the hunt for a wild-card spot. It’s the development of all these prospects like Kasper flourishing on the top line, the Edvinsson-Johannson pairing bolstering the defense, Söderblom applying his trade, and Berggren leading the bottom six that gives me hope for the rest of the season that the Detroit Red Wings might finally have a playoff contender.