Breaking: Red Wings Sign Free Agent Forward Andrew Copp to a Five-Year Deal

Rumors started swirling this morning from NHL insiders such as Elliotte Friedman, Bob McKenzie, and Darren Dreger regarding the Red Wings’ interest in Copp. Wednesday afternoon, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Copp has agreed to a five-year, $5.625 million average-annual-value.

The Rangers acquired Copp at the NHL trade deadline, and that is when the whole league took notice. The Ann Arbor native just had the best season of his career in 2021-22. In 72 games split between Winnipeg and New York, Copp scored 21 goals and added 32 assists. Copp was a big part of the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference final, scoring six goals and eight assists in 20 games. 

While Copp fit in nicely alongside star-forward Artemi Panarin, the Rangers are tight to the salary cap and had to make a tough decision to let him walk to free agency.

Copp has the potential to be a perfect fit in Detroit. He just turned 28 five days ago, putting him into the same age bracket as core members Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. Copp also can play all three forward positions up and down a lineup, which is valuable to a young, up-and-coming team like Detroit. 

Copp has developed later in his career from a defensive bottom-six winger into a top-six power forward who has a knack for scoring big goals. Copp is also reliable in the defensive side of the game, spending big minutes on the penalty kill and having positive analytics. 

Also, already having a history of playing with high-level offensive players such as Artemi Panarin and Mark Scheifele, he may be a nice fit with Jakub Vrana, who is poised for a breakout season.

I could see head coach Derek Lalonde lining Copp up as the second-line center to start the season. But as the season progresses, maybe Joe Veleno develops and is ready for more responsibility higher in the lineup, and Copp can shift to the wing.

The return of the Lyon King The Production Line Podcast

In this episode, we break down the Red Wings' first six games of the season, going 3-3. We discuss the impressive start from Alex Lyon, Marco Kasper's recall, the team's problems generating offense, and more!
  1. The return of the Lyon King
  2. The 23-Man Roster Set and Kasper Sent Down
  3. Preseason Storylines and Red Wings' Roster Predictions
  4. Red Wings' Training Camp Opens
  5. The Three RFAs

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

3 thoughts on “Breaking: Red Wings Sign Free Agent Forward Andrew Copp to a Five-Year Deal

Leave a Reply

Mark Scheifele skating for the Winnipeg Jets

Mark Scheifele Won’t Travel With Winnipeg for Game Six

Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele will not travel with the Winnipeg Jets ahead of game six against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Friday night. Mark Scheifele has taken several hard hits from the Blues players throughout the series, but the first period of game five against the Blues was enough to keep […]

Read More
Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images

Connor Hellebuyck Named a Hart Trophy Finalist

Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck has been named a finalist for the Hart Trophy for the first time in his NHL career. The two-time winner and six-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy is a strong candidate to take a third Vezina and his first Hart Trophy for his stellar play this season. Hellebuyck’s 47 wins, […]

Read More
Lundell celebrates his goal with his teammates on the bench.

3 Takeaways From The Florida Panthers & Tampa Bay Game 5 | 04/30/2025

Jon Cooper took the words right out of my mouth: “They have an exceptional team. Not just an average team, an exceptional team.” Down a defenseman in Aaron Ekblad, who got a two-game suspension for his hit on Hagel in Game 4, Florida was back to its Game 1 & 2 defensive pairings. The Panthers […]

Read More