Lucas Raymond is Dragging the Red Wings to the Playoffs

The Detroit Red Wings lost their last game against the Pittsburgh Penguins that hurt the chances that the team had to make the Stanley Cup playoffs by a score of 6-5 in overtime. The team would not have been in position to make this playoff push without the recent play of left-winger Lucas Raymond. Raymond is one goal short of 30 in his third season with the Red Wings. Perhaps the most electrifying goal of these was the one scored against Pittsburgh at the end of the first period.

Raymond cannot bring the Red Wings to the playoffs, something that the team has not seen in seven seasons on his own. Captain Dylan Larkin has been one of the most important Red Wings on the roster since being drafted by his hometown team 15th overall in the 2014 NHL entry draft out of the University of Michigan. In only 66 games played during the 2023-24 season, Larkin has put up a career-high in goals with 33.

Raymond is one of the two unrestricted free agents that the general manager needs to sign during the 2024 offseason. Raymond is one of the reasons that the Red Wings are still in a hunt for a wild card. During this past week, Raymond has scored four goals, all at even-strength, and eight points. The 22-year-old has scored 29 goals and added 40 assists in 80 games during the 2023-24 NHL season. This is the second most on the Red Wings’ roster behind Larkin who has scored 33 goals and added 34 assists in 66 games played.

Moritz Seider being the other. Seider has bounced back from a second season that some said was a “sophomore slump.” Whether or not this is true, Seider needed time to adapt to the defensive systems of head coach Derek Lalonde, who is about to complete his second season as head coach of the Red Wings. Seider had eight hits and two blocked shots in a recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and became the first player with more than 200 in both categories in a season since Mike Komisarek did in 2007-08.

Detroit needs to win their last two games against the Montreal Canadiens to remain in contention for the wild card. Even if this were to happen, the Red Wings need help from other teams. Larkin, Raymond, and Seider will be key to the Red Wings winning these last two games. A playoff berth would be a welcome addition to the “Yzerplan.”