Some quick thoughts from NHL scouts on various Detroit Red Wings
Some news and notes from conversations this week.
To be clear, this isn’t a contract update on Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider.
As we get closer to Detroit Red Wings training camp, two of the bigger pieces for this season remain unsigned, although there seems to be belief something will get done sooner than later.
This is a collection of rumblings from talking to NHL scouts this week from other organizations, including one head scout, about the Red Wings offseason and where things might be trending on the ice.
On Lucas Raymond:
The scouts I spoke to love Raymond’s game, they also see a big boost for the forward coming this season after he put up 72 points (31 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games.
“The league kind of learned him in year two, he went through a bit of that sophomore slump and came out stronger last year,” one scout said. “I love everything he does and to me, he’s just gonna keep getting better.”
From a contract perspective, there was a bit of a consensus that smart business by Detroit would be to get Raymond locked in on a long-term deal to avoid the future cost of a bridge deal.
“He could bet on himself and I would bet he would make himself a ton more money doing that,” one scout said. “You never really know with Steve (Yzerman), but I feel like he’s gotta find a way to get it to a seven or eight-year deal now to avoid the future hurt on the cap when he out plays a bridge.”
On Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat:
I spoke to a couple scouts about the pair that had such great chemistry in Chicago and really only showed flashes of it last season in Detroit.
“I think it’s still there, and we saw it here and there, but I think there was a bit more pressure on them to get it right, right away,” one scout said. “Kane played what, 50 games? I think he came in and there timing just took a bit. I think those two with a full camp will be in a great spot.”
On Elmer Söderblom:
The 6-foot-8 forward, who spent the entire season in the AHL after 21 NHL games in 2022-23 remains a fascinating prospect for scouts.
“With his size and his hands, and how he moves, honestly, I just want to see him put it all together,” one scout said. “That’s a force right there, it’s just whether he can find a way to get all the pieces to go at the same time.”
Söderblom missed parts of the AHL season down the stretch because of illness, which didn’t help. One NHL scout said he felt Söderblom was on his list of future “reclamation projects,” if it doesn’t work out in Detroit.
On Marco Kasper:
I spoke to a scout that watched Marco Kasper play in person at the Olympic qualifying tournament with Austria.
“I think people forget what he’s going to be in the NHL, he’s going to play with edge, he’s going to help unlock other parts of the lineup,” the scout said. “I think people might get wrapped up goal totals for a guy drafted where he was, but I really think he’s going to be an impact guy at some point sooner than later.”
On Auston Watson:
Auston Watson is heading to Red Wings training camp on a PTO, I was curios if any scouts thought he still had an NHL fit.
It was a mixed, two said yes, two said they felt Detroit already had better options in play.