Of all the disappointment heard throughout the Detroit Red Wings fanbase, one perspective gets to me.
There are plenty of things to upset with given the fall that hit Hockeytown. Choosing to blame any single player seems short-sighted, but trying to find villains in a story like this is understandable. Maybe one guy’s only good on a penalty kill unit, but is also being used on the ineffective power play. Another might be an older guy playing higher in the lineup when a young guy like Michael Brandsegg-Nygård is more exciting.
The one gripe I don’t understand is anyone demanding more from Lucas Raymond.
While some people might be disappointed with the budding Red Wings star forward, these are the same folks who watch box scores and treat them as gospel. The good news, the modern hockey world has so many new tools and options to digest a player’s output. Raymond isn’t coming short by any reasonable measure.
Detroit Red Wings budding star is excelling, regardless of stat lines
Of course, a player always wants to shoot, score and win more. Yet, Raymond does everything that he can to help his team night in and night out succeed.
If you think Raymond is having a down season, I empower you to take a step back.
In 79 games played, Raymond has scored 25 times and assisted on 51 goals for a total of 76 points—just shy of a point per game (0.962 points per game). At the Olympics, Raymond played in five games, scored one goal and earned eight assists for a total of nine points.
Could we hope that he reaches a point per game? Sure. Raymond is still playing the same way. The way way that fans always expect him to play. Considering he’s often swapped from Dylan Larkin’s line to the second or even third line, it makes points more challenging to come by (for both Raymond and Larkin).
He’s generated offense primarily as a playmaker, but even more impressive to me was his work with David Perron and J.T. Compher.
Lucas Raymond's versatility a bright spot
Together, Raymond, Compher and Perron played in a style of a modern-day “grind line.” Not quite as hard hitting, but all three of them created havoc for opponents every shift. It’s disappointing that those three couldn’t continue together. (This is one of my many gripes against the current coach—quit switching guys once they find something that works well for them!). Raymond was an important part of that line’s success. It seemed like everyone knew their roles and played them fairly well (all things considered).
It’s not ideal having a star player like Raymond in a third line role, but if it works, it works. If you can roll three lines relatively equally, it helps the top two lines get rest, makes matchups more challenging for the opposition and gives different guys new opportunities to succeed.
Raymond is clearly batting an injury (likely multiple injuries), but he’s still one of the hardest workers to don the Winged Wheel this season.Even with a lack of shooting, though, Raymond is still one of the most important players for the Red Wings this season.
The 2019-20 season was the most pain I’ve suffered through as a Red Wings fan (it was far more painful to me than this season). Raymond has made every single moment of that agony worth it.
He’s an incredible talent and I can’t imagine Larkin traversing this rebuild without his buddy.
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