NHL.com/sv is posting a series of articles in which their correspondents interview Swedish NHL stars to discuss the 2025-2026 season in review. This morning, Peter Ekholm posted an interview with Lucas Raymond, which I believe was taken before Steve Yzerman’s decision to step down as the Wings’ GM.
Here’s a rough translation thereof:
Lucas Raymond left another NHL season without a playoff appearance. During his 5 seasons in the NHL, the 24-year-old Gothenburg native has yet to experience a single playoff game.
The Red Wings’ drought is ten years old now–but if there’s one player who’s going to get the team out of it, it’s Raymond.
“There have been too many years here where we have been just on the doorstep but haven’t succeeded. We need to get this in order quickly if we’re going to be able to take the next step,” Raymond said as he summed up another playoff miss for his team in the spring of 2026.
With his best season to date–and an 80-point season in the bank–Lucas Raymond entered the 2025-2026 season with high expectations. The Red Wings had the goal of being involved in battling for the top of the league standings, and Raymond would be the leading player.
“The expectations I have on myself are always greater than those that come from outside. But I think it’s fun to have expectations, and to take responsibility on the ice; I wouldn’t want it any other way. We all have expectations in this league, and I think it highlights the best of every player,” Raymond told NHL.com/en before the season kicked off.
When asked to sum the season up, Raymond again saw 16 other teams battle for the Stanley Cup, while he had to pack up his equipment bag for the summer.
“We came in this year with a clear goal of reaching the playoffs, and it was…Well, if you grew up playing hockey, and dream of winning things, whether it’s the Swedish league or different junior tournaments, and then come here…Then you want to play those kinds of competitive games. The ones I haven’t been able to play a single one of so far,” said Raymond, who reached the 400-game milestone in the league last season.
However, the team’s most important offensive player made a good performance for the Red Wings again. 76 points (25 goals + 51 assists) in 80 games meant that he finished in second place in the team’s scoring, and he hit the 70-point and 50-assist marks for the second season in a row. Raymond scored 3 points (all assists) in a game on 4 occasions during the season, and had a key role on the team’s power play with 27 points (7 goals + 20 assists).
Raymond was able to conclude that the season his second best scoring-wise, but 4 points short of the 80 he registered in 2024-2025. At the same time, Raymond has scored at least 25 goals in 3 consecutive seasons. But Detroit believes and hopes that there’s even more to hit from their offensive star. Coach Todd McLellan talked many times last season about wanting to see Raymond shoot more–and more shots usually lead to more goals.
“I think he has a good shot, and I believe in his shot,” McLellan said when the Red Wings ended their season in April. “It’s one of the sharpest tools in his toolbox, and it’s something we’ve talked about, not only towards the end of the season, but also during the season.”
Raymond fired 173 shots this past season, and scored at 14.5 percent of them.
“If you take his shot percentage and throw in a 100 extra shots, which I think he’s capable of, we have a 40-goal-scorer It’s something we’re going to press him to achieve.”
The season, Raymond also took on a major role in the Tre Kronor’s Olympic team in Milan-Cortina. Raymond was one of Sweden’s best players and posted 9 points (1 goal + 8 assists), which yielded a third place finish in tournament scoring, behind Canada’s Connor McDavid (2 goals + 11 assists) and Macklin Celebrini (5 goals + 5 assists), when the best players made up the Olympic medalists. For Sweden, it was a pass to the quarterfinals, but the tournament still gave more flavor and memories for life.
“It was a great experience. I’m happy with how I played, though there are things I would have liked to do better during such a short tournament, of course. It was sour that we couldn’t get past the quarterfinals,” Raymond summarized.
When Red Wings and Raymond gather again in late August, expectations will be high for the team and himself once again. And the Swede is ready to take a bigger role in order to eventually play the playoffs.
“We obviously have to look at ourselves in the mirror, take responsibility [for ourselves], and try to push this forward in the right way to over this bundle that we’ve put ourselves in.”
