Much needed help is on the way for the Detroit Red Wings, and it could start with Marco Kasper getting back into practice.
That matters because the team’s bottom-six has been a problem through 13 games. The combined production from Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Keegan Kolesar and Nate Danielson has been underwhelming at best and disappointing at worst.
That doesn’t mean those players have nothing to offer. Each of them brings something to the lineup, whether it’s work on the penalty kill or help on the power play. But as Todd McLellan said about Dylan Larkin’s return to the lineup, getting an injured player back can help put everyone where they belong.
Kasper’s return could do exactly that.
He has been on injured reserve since October 6, and if the practice photos are any clue, a return may not be far off. For a Red Wings team that has been short on center depth since Larkin’s departure, getting Kasper back would be a real boost.
The cleanest move might be to put Kasper on a line with Danielson and Carter Mazur. That would give the group some much-needed stability, especially with two young players who have been stuck in limbo this season and have seen only a handful of games and very little ice time.
In that setup, Danielson would shift to the wing. He’s a natural center, but that kind of move is hardly unusual for this organization. Every center in the Red Wings lineup has started his NHL career on the wing, Kasper included.
Kasper began on the wing with Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Emmitt Finnie did the same.
Even Larkin started out on the wing alongside Henrik Zetterberg. Now Danielson could follow that path.
Moving him outside would give him a chance to work on different parts of his game without as much pressure. He could focus on puck retrievals, playmaking and shooting when lanes open up, while also building confidence. For a young player, that kind of runway matters.
If that happens, Rasmussen, Compher and Kolesar would slide down to the fourth line, which would be a better fit for everyone involved. That isn’t a knock on them. Teams that win Stanley Cups need all four lines, and those three have been asked to do more than their share lately.
With 13 games in the books and a 6-4-3 record, Kasper may be exactly the piece the Red Wings need to give the lineup a lift.
In Other News...
Red Wings Icon Takes Rare Public Stand In Russia Hockey Debate
Nicklas Lidstrom rarely wades into political arguments around the sport, but the Red Wings vice president of hockey operations and an advisor to the Swedish Hockey Federation has taken a clear position after the Court of Arbitration for Sport annulled the IIHFs ban on Russia. With the IIHF expected to appeal, the debate has quickly shifted from a legal ruling to what national federations should do next if Russia is cleared to return to international competition.
For Lidstrom, the response should start with a boycott of international events if Russia is allowed back in. His former teammate Viacheslav Fetisov, now a member of the Russian State Duma, wants Russia back on the world stage too, though only if it competes under its own national symbols rather than as neutral athletes. For a hockey dispute that reaches well beyond the rink, those are two very different lines in the sand. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have A John Gibson Problem They Cant Ignore
A late collapse in St. Louis turned what looked like a solid road win into another frustrating night for Detroit, and it put John Gibson back under the microscope. The Red Wings carried a two-goal lead into the third period before the Blues stormed back with three unanswered goals, a burst that quickly flipped the game and left Detroit searching for answers after another missed opportunity.
Gibson was in net for the unraveling and gave up five goals on 15 shots, a line that will naturally draw attention whenever a game gets away from a team that expects more stability in goal. Still, the Red Wings are hoping this is just a rough outing rather than a sign of something bigger, because the version of Gibson they need is the one who looked far more like himself last season. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Should Brace For A New Twist In The Larkin Standoff
Dylan Larkins standoff with the Red Wings has already taken a sharp turn, and now there may be another one coming. Detroit suspended the center without pay after he said he would not play for the team again, and the organization has made clear it views him as finished in Detroit. For now, Larkins trade list includes 10 teams, but not every club on it is a realistic landing spot because of salary-cap limits and the cost in assets it would take to make a deal work.
Elliotte Friedman added another layer to the situation by reporting that the list itself could change within the next 24 to 48 hours. That kind of fluidity only adds to the uncertainty around where this goes next, especially with some teams already looking like long shots as trade partners. For Red Wings fans, the story is no longer just about whether Larkin moves, but about how quickly the market around him could shift before anything becomes concrete. [Read more 🡒]