In an ever-tightening battle for their first playoff berth in 10 years, the Red Wings will be without their top two centers for nearly half of their remaining schedule. Head coach Todd McLellan told reporters today, including Jonathan Mills of NHL.com, that Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp will miss at least two more weeks with their respective injuries before being reassessed.
For Larkin, it’s a considerable downgrade in his status. He’s already missed two games with a non-contact leg injury that he sustained in an awkward fall/toe pick against the Panthers last Friday. He remained with Detroit on their road trip and was initially only designated day-to-day, but it appears additional evaluation or a lack of forward progress in his recovery has forced the Wings to extend his return timeline.
Things haven’t gone well for Detroit so far without their captain and first-line pivot. They shut out the Devils 3-0 in their first game without him, but then dropped a rematch with Florida 4-3 in regulation, surrendering a 3-2 lead they held with 90 seconds left. For a team with the sixth-most difficult remaining schedule in the league (per Tankathon), dropping games to teams out of the playoff race is far from ideal. The silver lining is that the three teams they’re in the chase with – the Blue Jackets, Bruins, and Penguins – are in for an even harder run.
Then Copp, who’s been spectacular this season as a stopgap second-line center between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, needed help getting off the ice in Tuesday’s loss to the Panthers. He got tangled up with Tomas Nosek in a faceoff midway through the second period, and the Florida center fell on his leg. McLellan has had to completely reshuffle his forward group as a result. DeBrincat and Kane’s unit will be designated as the top line for the time being, with J.T. Compher moving up to center them, while youngsters Emmitt Finnie and Marco Kasper will round out a second line with Larkin running mate and the team’s leading scorer, Lucas Raymond.
Detroit doesn’t have excess scoring depth. The top-six replacements, Compher, Finnie, and Kasper, have combined for 63 points on the year. Copp and Larkin have 90 on their own. The former has only eight goals in 65 games this year but has been especially valuable in turning his unit, which is usually defensively suspect with Kane, into a legitimate driver of possession for the Wings, recording a 55.5% expected goals share at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck.
Four of Detroit’s six games over the next two weeks are against teams in playoff position – the Lightning, Stars, Canadiens, and Bruins. Tampa and Montreal have pulled away from the rest of the pack, but they’re in direct competition with Boston for a wild-card spot. Another game is against the Senators, who are chasing them for a spot. Only one game in that stretch is against a bottom-feeder, the Flames. As such, Detroit’s postseason odds are back under the 70% mark, per MoneyPuck.
Just when the Wings looked like a lock for the playoffs, this happens.
Lock, right!! Maybe before the Olympic Break. Now It’s March. They are jinxed by this month.
The Annual March Melt-down is in full swing!
Their best 2 prospect centers, Danielson and Lombardi, in the AHL are injured as well. So they have a 4″old vets” they called up and only one regularly plays C.
If Yzerman had done his job, we would have Trocheck or Thomas to make this a non-issue. The way they caved to Florida I don’t know that it makes any difference. Watch how the Sabres or Lightning play all-out every game, and then watch how the Wings play. Not even close.
not sure what it is. They have been through 3 coaches now. Common denominator is ?????? # 71 Get him out of here !!! LOL
With just the addition of Thomas or Trocheck I doubt they’re getting out of the first round of the playoffs. They need a lot of their better prospects to reach their potential and become at least serviceable, above average NHLers and the addition of a straight up superstar caliber player to be great and contend for a Cup.
***”and the addition of a straight up superstar caliber player to be great and contend for a Cup.”***
Hold the phone. They just called up Austin Watson.
Honestly wouldn’t mind him as an extra forward or 4th liner on a deep team with 3 high quality lines. He’ll square up with anyone. There’s a role for him on some teams.
I think they’ll still get in the playoffs, but by the skin of their teeth.
Not a Wings fan so haven’t been paying too much attention, but what’s even going on in Detroit at Center? Is Copp their 2C when healthy??? Woof. Why did Marco Kasper take a huge step back? If Danielson isn’t ready, why not bring up Lombardi? Why is Rasmussen still on the team?
Wait, they’re running Compher, Kasper, Rasmussen, and Sheldon Dries down the middle????? I don’t know if they’re going to hold onto that playoff spot.
Yes, Copp is the 2C ATM…he’s a solid 3/4C, PK guy on a contending team. Has played well this year, good on face offs , but he’s not a 2C on ANY team going deep into the playoffs. They need a Top-10 1C is the main issue, with Larkin being a true 2C on a contending team. Kasper I guess is just sophomore slumping it… Idk how else to describe it, he plays well and you can see his high level skill but he can’t catch a break on the stat sheet. Every time he touches the puck it looks like it belongs on his stick and he’s moving the play forward effortlessly. As for Lombardi, I think the knock on him is he’s a smaller high skilled offensive player that can get away with what he’s doing in the AHL more easily than the NHL, he does deserve a shot though. LOL Rasmussen is an interesting one…at times he looks great and other times it looks like he just learned to play hockey, massive human but incredibly inconsistent. Him and Soderblom are both massive humans but don’t play like it, but Soderblom had incredible puck control for his size at least. They shouldn’t have traded him.
time to get rid of Kris Draper and all his ex-teammates on the managerial staff. His/Wings player development is sub-par at best
It’s better than it was before they came in.
Obviously, you’re the Wings expert, but I could see Larkin as a 1C on a contender? I feel like he’s in that Barkov, O’Reilly mode of not being a 100-point guy, but being so solid and tough and competitive that it rounds it out? Maybe I’m wrong… But I just see the Wings center depth as being atrocious, which maybe puts too much pressure on Larkin to be “the guy.” I’m really rooting for them this year since my team is basically eliminated. Seider and Raymond are awesome, and I love DeBrincat.
ChipWest is a little bit retarded. Larkin is as good as it gets at center.