Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff suggests that Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond has a bit of Henrik Zetterberg in him:
Seeing Raymond at work on a daily basis has proven to be an eye-opening experience for his new coach.
“Now that I’m here, you see the tenacity that he plays with,” [Red Wings coach Todd] McLellan said. “He’s got an abrasiveness to him that I wasn’t aware of. He’s obviously got all the skills and all that other stuff.”
McLellan’s first tenure with the Red Wings was as an assistant coach from 2005-08. And he was reaching back into that time to find a player he’s coached that he views as a comparable to Raymond.
“For me, he’s got some of . . .” McLellan stopped himself in mid-sentence before continuing his thought process. “I’m going to use a name, and he’s not that player, but I see a little bit of (Henrik) Zetterberg in him like that determination and that little bit of abrasiveness, the fire kind of. So throw in all the other skills and that’s what I see in Lucas.”
It’s high praise, indeed. McLellan was coaching Zetterberg when the former Detroit captain was at the zenith of his abilities. In 2007-08, as he was helping lead the Red Wings to their most recent Stanley Cup title, Zetterberg was also winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP.
Continued; Lucas Raymond is Lucas Raymond, just as Moritz Seider is Moritz Seider. But when you see a little bit of Zetterberg in Raymond, or a little bit of Lidstrom in Seider, you aren’t wrong.
