DetroitRedWings.com’s Ethan Sears and 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield botth wrote articles regarding Lucas Raymond making the Red Wings’ 23-man roster to start the 2021-2022 season.
Sears offers the following from the Red Wings’ captain…
Dylan Larkin remembers this day in 2015, when he was 19 and unsure of making the roster. He went to sleep unsure, then woke up the next morning and texted Luke Glendening to ask what time practice was, or if he was even supposed to show up.
“They didn’t say anything to me,” Larkin said. “Luckily I showed up. It was a good day.”
The parallels between he and Lucas Raymond, who showed up for practice Monday morning six hours before the roster was officially announced, skated alongside Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi on the first line, then officially made the team at 5 p.m. – are almost too easy.
Like Larkin, Raymond was a first-round pick. Like Larkin, Raymond is 19. Like Larkin, Raymond came into camp needing to impress – and did. And like Larkin, the spotlight will be on him immediately.
“Right away, knew he was a special player,” Larkin said. “Thinks the game, has great hands and can skate. He always looks like a good player, then I saw him on the ice in training camp. He’s a smart player. I think he plays on a different level, and it just depends for him if he can keep it going.”
Sears continues, and Burchfield picks up the narrative from there:
On Thursday, the Red Wings will open the 2021-22 season against the Lightning. And Raymond may well be playing on Detroit’s top line with Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi.
“Do I like the look of that line with Bert, Larks and Lucas? Yeah, potentially we like the look of that line,” Jeff Blashill said Monday. “Bert is a guy who goes and gets pucks a lot, Larks brings that pace high and Lucas is a really smart, savvy offensive player. But we’ll have to continue to watch it and see.”
The trio played together to close out the preseason, with mixed results for Raymond. After posting six points in his first three exhibition games, he went pointless in his final three. But with Monday’s news that Detroit has released winger Bobby Ryan from his professional tryout, it’s increasingly likely that Raymond makes the team. And he won’t make the team to play a bottom-six role.
Plus, the rookie can only benefit from playing with Larkin.
“Larks gives anyone he plays with pace, and I think one thing Lucas has to continue to learn is how to play at that higher pace,” Blashill said. “He’s a really smart player who has to move his feet more, in my opinion, to go get pucks, to pressure, to do those type of things. But Larkin kind of forces you to play at a pretty high pace.”
