Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an overnight article discussing new Red Wings center J.T. Compher’s belief that his new employer can turn things around:
“I’ve seen both sides of it and I know what it takes,” Compher said. “[The Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run] was a fun journey to be a part of for sure. It’s hard, it’s not easy at all. It sounds simple but one team wins the Stanley Cup every year.
“We had plenty of teams we thought could do it over the years. Even the year we won there were challenges and adversity to go through. You learn a lot about yourself and teammates when you get in those tight series in the playoffs.”
Arriving in Detroit via unrestricted free agency, Compher agreed to the five-year deal with an AAV of $5.1 million. He’s a former Michigan player who was a captain with the Wolverines and a teammate there of current Red Wings Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp. He could also find himself slotting into the Detroit depth chart between Larkin and Copp.
Larkin is the No. 1 center for the Red Wings. Ideally, the Detroit brass would like to see Copp skating as the club’s third-line center. That means they’ll need someone to anchor the second forward unit. Compher is capable of delivering those goods.
“I played a little second-line center in the playoffs with Colorado the year we won,” Compher said. “That was good for my confidence, it was good experience. Just continued trusting my own game.”
