As the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan notes in his Saturday notebook, Red Wings forward and super sophomore Lucas Raymond believes that he can give more to his team’s cause:
“The most pressure I got is from myself to get better,” Raymond said. “(I) focus on that as much as possible and block the other things out. Just try to play good hockey and that will lead to a lot of good things.”
Playing with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, the three were the most consistent and effective line the Wings had last season, and the trio is likely to be reunited this season by new coach Derek Lalonde.
Raymond, 20, displayed an overall advanced game, with a great knack of knowing where to be on the ice. But Raymond understood there were still areas to improve.
This summer, Raymond continued to improve his skating but targeted other parts of his skill set.
“I want to take the puck to the net more,” said Raymond, who wants to be harder on pucks. “That was one of the things I took away from last season. A lot of goals are scored on rebounds, tips, and tight around the net. That’s a big thing I’ve been trying to focus on. It’s tough to practice; it’s more of a mentality thing, if you want to get there.”
Continued; Raymond has been a junkyard dog in terms of hunting down rebounds thus far.
If I’m Lalonde, I kick Raymond down to the second line and put either Vrana on his off wing or Perron up there. But I would start by juggling Zadina in there too.