MLive’s Ansar Khan’s off-day notebook focuses on Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen’s likely resurgence this upcoming season after recovering from a season-ending knee injury last February:
“I’ve been bumping [in practice] for a while,” Rasmussen said. “It’s nice to kind of be able to let loose in that way and not be too scared to hit your teammates or all that in camp. Nice to get some bumps, nice to be bumped.”
The 6-6 forward quickly re-established the chemistry he had with linemates Andrew Copp and David Perron.
“It’s pretty easy with two guys like that, two good players and easy players to play with,” Rasmussen said. “Just their hockey minds. They know the game really well and know the spots to be in. They know our systems really well, so it’s easy for me to kind of know where they’re going to be, whether it’s in coverage or offensive zone stuff. Good puck-movers and they have good wall play.”
The Red Wings drafted Rasmussen ninth overall in 2017 envisioning him as a future second- or third-line center. He has frequently switched between center and wing the past couple of seasons, but Lalonde said Rasmussen was a “completely different player on the wing” last year.
“In the underlying numbers, he drove some offense,” Lalonde said. “When he’s on the wing, he seems a lot more productive and can drive some lines a little bit. We would trust him at center. I think being on the wing frees him up a little more to maybe establish a forecheck, to play a little more north-south game, which I thought suited him.”
Continued; I’m very relieved that Rasmussen feels like himself again.
