Who does Detroit Red Wings Marco Kasper think he is?

Who in the world does Marco Kasper think he is?

Since we drafted Marco Kasper, I have been sold a book on Kasper. He’s been a poster child for the Detroit Red Wings draft preferences. Swedish-trained with a strong two-way game but possibly lacks the high-end skill that some other draft-eligible players may have shown. In particular, Kasper faded to the background of prospects within the Detroit Red Wings organization. Many fans (myself included) put him in the category of third or fourth-line center with minimal offensive upside. Kasper plays a nice 200-foot game and will be good as a shutdown guy.

Oftentimes, Kasper has been overshadowed by any number of prospects within the Detroit Red Wings system. I know that when I watched the Grand Rapids Griffins last season, at the start of it, guys like Jonatan Berggren, Simon Edvinsson, and Albert Johansson demanded my eyes and full attention. It was a challenge to even know when Kasper was on the ice let alone digest what he was doing on it.

As the Detroit Red Wings head coach says frequently, shame on me. Shame on most of us Detroit Red Wings fans.

While it’s easy to label prospects or put them in tidy boxes in our minds of who we think they are or what they’re capable of, Kasper is a great reminder of why this short-sighted thinking doesn’t work. 

Detroit Red Wings player Marco Kasper is shedding every label that has been prematurely assigned to him

It was almost a year ago exactly when Grand Rapids Griffins fans glimpsed the player that Kasper would become today. Going from a player who looked like he was barely treading water to a player who was confident, determined, and effective every shift. Kasper became a staple within the Grand Rapids Griffins forward group. Anyone on a line with Kasper had the opportunity to play his own game to the fullest as Kasper made sure the defensive side of the game was secure, pucks were retrieved, and he ventured to the dirty areas of the ice that nobody else dared to go. It freed guys up to elevate their own games, focusing on what makes them so successful. At the same time, Kasper stepped into his own. Since those earlier stages in his development, Kasper has been finding more and more offense.

Kasper stepped up his game even further during the Grand Rapids Griffins playoff run. Beyond the likes of Edvinsson, Berggren, and Johansson who everyone went to see, Kasper rose above the pack as he played one of the best series I can remember watching from a single player. He all but dragged the Grand Rapids Griffins through round two of the playoffs, but the team fell just shy to the dismay of Kasper’s amazing performance.

In almost every way, Kasper is building to be a complete player in the NHL. Very similar to Lucas Raymond, Kasper has very few areas of his game that could be considered weaknesses. Could he stand to improve on every aspect of his game? Yes. (Please note this is not a stylistic comparison to Raymond; it’s a mere comparison in how complete they both are as players at such young ages.) 

I wouldn’t say that Kasper struggles anywhere or with any part of the NHL game. Maybe, at times, he could read plays better, get better positioning, or aim a bit better on his shot, but from a player who can’t even legally drink alcohol in the U.S. right now, I can’t ask for more from Kasper. He’s patiently waited and prepared for these moments of playing in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings top line. 

Similar to how Kasper reminds me of Raymond in how complete his game is, Kasper also reminds me of someone else, and it sparked an idea. As I watched Kasper against the Edmonton Oilers, I couldn’t help but come up with a nickname for Kasper. Larkin b (Lb). Although he doesn’t have the speed of Dylan Larkin, the same tenacity is there. Albeit with more control of his emotions. Rarely do we see Kasper lose his cool in scrums. 

Even against the Edmonton Oilers, there was a guy who cross-checked Kasper, so Kasper wanted to have a discussion (both verbally and physically) with the guy. Of course, another Edmonton Oilers player charges into the mix and receives Kasper a nice face washing from the additional Edmonton Oilers player. Instead of getting upset with guy number two, Kasper continues to focus on the original guy who cross-checked him. He was not interested in a fight or getting out of control, but he was standing up for himself, letting the player know he wasn’t appreciative of the cross-check. It’s refreshing to have someone who is so balanced (not being a pushover versus not going overboard).

After watching years of American Hockey League (AHL) action, where players have the shortest fuses—blowing up for the most insignificant of things—to Larkin, who has improved in this category but can still lose his cool. Larkin can and does go on a cross-checking spree or punches people. Kasper is much more disciplined in his approach. Kasper takes penalties from time to time, but not usually for losing his temper.

It’s a skill that I think would help Larkin and Raymond a bit (to not get so carried away with the physical or emotional side of things), so it’s great they’re on a line together to learn from each other.

In turn, Kasper is learning more than anyone has ever thought possible, at a nearly unbelievable pace. When I watched him in the Grand Rapids Griffins playoff run, I had a bias of what I thought his ceiling might be. A third line center with minimal upside. As I began analyzing things and attempting to put my thoughts in articles, the more I questioned my bias of who Kasper is expected to be. 

Why couldn’t he be more than a third-line center? Where does Kasper lack the skills needed to become a second or top-line center in the NHL that he isn’t going to naturally progress in? 

Of course, he wasn’t then and is by no means ready now to be a top centerman on even this center-shallow Detroit Red Wings team. Yet, there is a hunger in his game that leads me to believe that regardless of what his perceived ceiling is, he’s likely capable of much more and will continue to surprise people for years to come. Kasper isn’t satisfied with being okay at hockey. Instead, he demands excellence from himself. 

In doing so, he frees other players from their shackles as well. Dragging them into the fight each shift whether they planned on doing so or not.

We go from seeing a sleepy, boring Detroit Red Wings team to a hot under-the-collar, ready-to-roll team that can take a Stanley Cup favorite team to overtime and win in the shoot-out. Not solely because of Kasper but Kasper played an important role in the game overall. Helping spark the team with effective play that helped win shift after shift. 

Kasper is improving his shot and his playmaking skills. Those assets are only growing exponentially with the help of his linemates. These moments have led up to this incredible goal scored by Larkin setup by none other than Kasper:

I don’t know who Kasper thinks he is or what he thinks he’s capable of, but Kasper surprises me every shift.