The regular season is right around the corner, and there is plenty for Red Wings fans to be hopeful about. They are trying to end a playoff drought that stretched to nine seasons last year and without a big splash free agent addition, they are going to turn to some of their younger players to get them there.
One of those players that will have to be a key part if they hope to reach the playoffs is Marco Kasper, who isn't getting talked about entering the season, but that will change over the next few months.
He had a slow start to his rookie season last year with only seven points in his first 32 games, but he finished the season great. In the final 45 games, he had 30 points with 17 goals and 13 assists, with his time on ice jumping to around 16 minutes, which was around two minutes more per game than the first part of the season.
Marco Kasper could excel for the Red Wings with a full season under Todd McLellan
The improvements midway through the season might have just been him getting familiar and comfortable at the NHL level. However, it probably also had to do with Todd McLellan taking over as head coach at the end of December.
According to Money Puck, in the final 20 games of the regular season, Kasper led the team in Expected Goals at 5.1 and Goals Above Expected at 1.9.
Entering this season, expectations are only going to be higher for him on the second line with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. Even in this role, it feels like he is being overlooked, playing alongside these two and behind players like Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on the first line.
It is hard to imagine that by the end of the season, when fans are talking about the top forwards for the Detroit Red Wings, Kasper won't be one of the first names mentioned. It is a season where he could easily see a significant jump in his production to close to 70 points with the expected ice time he will get playing on that second line.