The Red Wings practiced at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center today, and then they hopped aboard the new team plane ahead of tomorrow night’s game against the Minnesota Wild (8 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet North/FanDuel SportsNet Wisconsin/97.1 FM).
On the road again pic.twitter.com/55BcdiJbUX
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 24, 2025
The Red Wings left for “MSP” without Andrew Copp or Michael Rasmussen, who have “upper-body” injuries (a right arm injury and a head injury, respectively), and as such, coach Todd McLellan discussed the team’s depth at center when he spoke with the media on Monday.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of McLellan’s remarks…
They have Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher and Joe Veleno, and Monday recalled Sheldon Dries from Grand Rapids.
Another option is Marco Kasper, who is a natural center and played there earlier in the season until McLellan took over as coach and moved Kasper onto the top line with Larkin and Lucas Raymond, where Kasper has thrived. But might it be time to see if Kasper can drive a line of his own again?
“There is that curiosity if he can drive his own line through the middle,” McLellan said. “But we also have to take into consideration where we are and what we’re chasing and what we’re doing, and his effect on two other players who play a ton of minutes and are real good hockey players.”
Kasper has 15 points (eight goals) in his last 17 games, and has added a dimension on the Larkin line with his speed, grit and instincts.
“I really like where he is and what he’s doing right now,” McLellan said. “Larks and Razor, their gas tanks were empty (after the 4 Nations tournament), but that’s not now. They’ve had their rest, they’ll be comfortable. But Kasper has given them some good legs on that line, and we’d like to keep him there.”
So if Kasper remains on the Larkin-Raymond line, that means more ice time for J.T. Compher, as McLellan told MLive’s Ansar Khan:
McLellan said Compher played one of his better games Sunday in the 5-4 overtime victory against Anaheim.
“I thought he skated,” McLellan said. “When J.T. isn’t skating as much he just plays in the middle of the rink. He was getting to corners and back into the middle of the rink. He was getting on the forecheck, creating turnovers, defending well. He played an authoritative-type game instead of safe game. I thought it was his best night in a while, or at least since the injury (he missed five games from Jan. 27-Feb. 4). Maybe he’s got that mojo or confidence back.”
Dries has 19 goals and 27 points in 48 games with the Griffins and has played in 122 games over five seasons with Colorado and Vancouver. The native of Macomb, Mich., played at Western Michigan.
“He knows what to feel and expect when he goes into a lineup and into arenas,” McLellan said. “He’s well-established and we have a good idea of what he’s been doing in Grand Rapids. Now it’s a matter of how we want our lineup to look on any given night.”
Then there are Christian Fischer and Tyler Motte, as the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan noted…
The Wings also could insert wing Christian Fischer back into the lineup, but that would still necessitate making a decision on the fourth center.
And if the Copp injury is long-term, the NHL trade deadline is rapidly approaching on March 7, which might force general manager Steve Yzerman to look for depth that way.
Regardless, in the short-term, it might mean increased minutes or a different role for somebody in the current lineup.
“Unfortunate thing for one (player) leads to opportunity for the other,” McLellan said. “Cliché, but it’s the truth.”
