The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article this afternoon which discusses Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, who suggested at his end-of-the-season press conference that he’s got more to give:
Raymond, 23, posted career-highs of 80 points and 53 assists last season, to go along with 27 goals. Raymond has made steady progress since entering the league in 2021-22 and putting up 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) and establishing himself quickly as a player to watch, after being the fourth overall pick in 2020.
Raymond is confident the upcoming season will be another positive step toward joining the elite class of NHL wingers.
“I want to take another step in my game,” said Raymond. “I did feel like I took a step this year but I feel like I have a lot more left. You go into the summer, every year, and you focus on maybe a couple things that you really want to pinpoint and develop. For me, it’s just the game. Put in the work and hopefully get a good result.”
Interestingly, when NHL.com released its list of top 20 wingers this month, Raymond didn’t make the cut. Raymond was included among a group of under-age 25 wingers who could make the top 20 list next year, along with talented young players such as Cole Caufield (Montreal), Matthew Knies (Toronto) and Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles).
The website, in its fantasy previews, projected Raymond as an 82-point scorer in 2025-26 and said Raymond “should be considered a fringe top 50 overall player in standard leagues and fringe top 20 option in keeper and dynasty formats.”
Raymond’s 152 points the last two seasons ranks 29th in the NHL. Raymond was especially prolific on the Wings’ potent power play last season, given his 37 points on the power play trailed only Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (46 points) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (38) in the NHL.
“A lot of the power play, it does run through Lucas and Patrick (Kane), but Lucas gets a lot of touches there and he makes really good plays with it,” said captain Dylan Larkin, Raymond’s linemate. “You look at all the big guys in the league that put up points consistently, they get the puck on the power play and they make it count when they have it. And I see (Raymond) doing that really all over the ice. He wants it on his stick. He’s built confidence and when he’s got it, he is looking to make the other team pay.”
Continued (paywall); Raymond won’t care very much about the NHL Network’s snub, but he’s definitely going to have a chip on his shoulder as he prepares to find some real consistency in both the goal-scoring and set-up departments.
Raymond can score, he can pass and make plays, he skates well, and he’s got a bit of an edge to his game. To me, Raymond is the Swedish version of a Swiss Army Knife, capable in all situations, and it will be very interesting to see how well he reacts to a full season under coach Todd McLellan’s guidance.
