There was the nifty backhand finish to pull the Wings within one, and the slick seam pass to tie it at two. But the play that captured Lucas Raymond's rising star was more dogged than deft. With Detroit protecting a 3-2 lead over the Kings in the third period Monday night, Raymond won one battle in front of his own net to sweep the puck to safety, then another on the half wall to spring Marco Kasper on a two-on-one. Moments later, the Red Wings had the insurance goal they needed in their third straight win.
The next day, head coach Todd McLellan reiterated that Raymond "reminds me a little bit of Zetterberg."
"You could open up a whole book of adjectives to describe Zetterberg, that’s pretty easy. And I could probably do that for Lucas right now," McLellan said. "He’s a complete player. He plays all three zones, he plays them equally hard, he values each of the three as importantly as the individual stat sheet. I don’t want to say it’s hard to find players like that. But when you do, you treasure them."
In the Red Wings' ongoing build, the biggest question can be found at the base: Is there enough elite talent? Players win games but superstars win championships, which Steve Yzerman acknowledged a few years ago when he said, "We’ll get a superstar along the way in the draft somewhere." It was tacit recognition that Red Wings aren't going anywhere without one. Dylan Larkin remains their most valuable player, the captain and No. 1 center. Their superstar might be Raymond.
"He’s just the guy who scores the big goal," said Andrew Copp. "I think he’s been that his entire life. That’s what first-line players are, and he’s doing exactly that. Like, when we need a goal, he’s going to be the one to score the goal or set it up. He just has that mentality, that inner confidence that you see those star players have. It’s been cool to see his growth, and it doesn’t seem like he’s stopping any time soon."
Raymond took off in the second half of last season and nearly drove the Wings to the playoffs. He finished with career highs in goals (30) and points (72) and was rewarded with an eight-year, $64.6 million contract that already feels like a bargain. Through 50 games this season, Raymond has 56 points, first on the Wings and eighth among NHL wingers.
Across the locker room Tuesday, Moritz Seider caught himself and laughed. He's been with Raymond for every step of the way in Detroit, the first two pillars of the so-called Yzerplan. Asked about Raymond's trajectory, Seider said, "I think everybody knows what his ceiling will be — actually, I honestly don’t."
"I feel better and better every year, and I still feel like I have a lot more in me," Raymond said. "You put in a lot of work and you’re not always going to get results, but I feel like if you just keep doing the right things, they’ll pay off. I like where my game’s at, and try to keep going forward with it."
"I think it’s just more complete," said Seider. "He’s going to the dirty areas, he’s taking guys one-on-one wide, he knows when to shoot, when to pass. Obviously him and Larks have been our motors up front, and we wouldn’t be here without him."
The Wings aren't anywhere close to where they want to be. Seider's point is that they would already be clipped this season if not for Raymond, and a timely (overdue?) coaching change. McLellan has freed the Red Wings from some of the rigid structure of Derek Lalonde -- play f**kin' hockey!! -- and Raymond is flying up and down the ice. He has 23 points in 16 games since McLellan took over, second in the NHL to David Pastrnak over that stretch, while the Red Wings are 11-4-1.
As Raymond entertained a horde of reporters in front of his locker on Tuesday -- the sure sign of a star -- Christian Fischer resisted the urge to chime in from the adjacent stall. The brotherly love was plastered on his face. Fischer knew a little about Raymond when he came over from the Coyotes at the start of last season, just as "one of the good, young players in the league." He did not know about Raymond's next gear.
"He’s been on this run for almost 12 months now," Fischer said. "I know it’s cliche, but he’s literally better every single game. You can see it, the confidence that he’s playing with right now. No disrespect to Dylan, but he’s up there with being as much of a game-changer as Dylan is. He’s really coming into his own. Being somewhat of an older guy, it's really cool to see as a teammate and a friend. I know it’s not easy being that young with all that pressure on you and living up to expectations, living up to contracts, but he’s just focused on his game, focused on being a 200-foot player. I mean, sh*t, he’s on pace for a lot of points, but it’s not just the points. He plays a fast, complete game."
It's the speed that has pushed Raymond further the past two seasons, more specifically the burst. He elevated his training two summers ago at the Red Wings' (and Lalonde's) behest, acknowledging a "big difference" in his off-ice regimen now versus when he entered the NHL. The simplest benefit is that Raymond is stronger. It's abundantly evident in his legs. As Seider puts it, Raymond has "grown in his body." As Fischer sees it from the vantage point of a nine-year vet, there are "very few players" in the league who match Raymond's explosiveness.
"Jack Eichel comes to mind. There’s a couple guys — I mean, MacKinnon’s MacKinnon — but the way he can grab a puck, dead-stop still and within two or three strides he’s full speed, and obviously has top-end hands, his hands keep up with his feet, which is the hardest part. That’s what makes all those top-end guys so good. They’re so fast, but their hands keep up with it. His explosiveness and speed, until you see it every day in practice, he’s easily the most explosive guy on our team. I’d love to have those legs," Fischer said with a laugh. "It’s a little slower on my side."
Fischer acknowledged that in terms of "top-end speed, Larks probably has an argument there. But just how quick (Raymond) can get going, man, that makes such a big difference when you can get going on a dime like that. It creates so much space for you."
That's critical for any skilled player, doubly so for one of Raymond's stature. He could be rather easily knocked off the puck in his first couple seasons, and had a harder time getting it back. Now he's hounding it. Joe Veleno, like Seider, has had a front seat to Raymond's growth in Detroit. With the burden on Raymond growing this year and last, Veleno raved about the way "he's coming to compete every night, and letting his skill take over when it needs to."
"I think his all-around game has gotten a lot better, his awareness, his D-zone, his battling," said Veleno. "And for a smaller guy, he wins a lot of those battles, those foot races. He’s just doing it on a more consistent basis, and I think that’s what’s standing out to a lot more people."
But not to all people. There's a feeling that Raymond's rise is flying under the radar around the league, which is fine by him. As Seider said, "We don’t need anyone to praise or lift us up into the sky. That’s just not who we are. We’re a working team, and we’ll do that in the future as well." But it's relevant to their future that Raymond is stepping into the game's great players. He's on pace for 90-plus points, a threshold that fewer than 10 wingers reached each of the last three seasons.
"We’re all aware of it and we all see it," said Veleno. "He’s just going to keep getting better, and he’s going to get the recognition he’s finally going to deserve. But it doesn’t go unnoticed in here. We already think he’s an elite player, and a superstar for us."
Copp, an 11-year vet, pauses to point out that the best in the game do it "year after year." That's what distinguishes wingers like "Pastrnak and Panarin," he said, not to mention the likes of Kucherov, Rantanen and Marner: "They're 85 (points) every season," and closer to 100. So no, Raymond hasn't entered their company yet, but Copp pauses again to note, "Kyle Connor’s f**kin' 28 years old, he’s having the best year of his career, and he keeps growing."
"Ray is, what? 22? So he’s got so much room to grow, and he’s already at such a high level. You’re going to wake up one day and be like, 'Oh yeah, he’s a top-10 winger in the league, for sure. Top-five winger in the league, for sure. But when you’re in the midst of it like we are right now, you’re not really thinking about that," said Copp.
You could argue -- if you really wanted to -- that aside from Marner, Raymond has a wider impact on the game than the aforementioned stars. He doesn't need to produce offense to propel his team, a point made by McLellan and echoed by Fischer: "Even the nights that he’s not scoring or putting up two assists, he’s affecting the play somehow. He’s driving the net, or creating space for Dylan, or crap, he’s on the PK now, too. I mean, he plays every situation." Marner is the only other penalty killer on that list.
Meanwhile, Raymond's 25 power play points this season are third in the NHL to only Kucherov and Jack Hughes. His assist on Alex DeBrincat's game-tying goal against the Kings was a shining example of a player "coming into his own," a coalescence of confidence, patience and vision. Raymond picked up the puck in one circle, wheeled to the point and down to the opposite circle before threading a cross-ice pass to DeBrincat, who did not miss. Raymond has been the most dangerous player on one of the best power plays in the NHL.
"Lucas gets a lot of touches there and he makes really good plays with it," said Larkin. "You look at all the big guys in the league that put up points, they get the puck on the power play and they make it count when they have it. I see him doing that, and really all over the ice. He wants it on his stick, he’s building confidence, and when he’s got it he’s looking to make the other team pay."
Amid all this praise, Fischer can't help but level the scales. Asked what it's like being neighbors with Raymond in the locker room, he grinned and said, "He's the worst. He smells, quite a bit." Fischer and Raymond have become tight, "two single guys," said Fischer, 27, "so we get along well." They hang out often outside the rink, usually grabbing dinner in Birmingham on their nights off. (Hyde Park and La Strada are their go-to spots.) These days, off-nights for Raymond are few and far between.
"It’s unbelievable," Seider said of Raymond's emergence. "Really happy to see that. Obviously it’s been a great ride, but when we'll look back, I think it will only be the beginning of a great journey."
McLellan spent several years with the Sharks trying to overcome Zetterberg and the Wings. He doesn't toss the name around lightly. Asked about the qualities he saw in Zetterberg that overlap with Raymond, McLellan said, "Competitive, two-way, high hockey IQ, leader. I can go on and on."
"I think they’re both winners," he said. "The difference is that Hank, right now, has the jewelry to prove it, and it takes a team to do that. I would say a winner with Hank -- but I think you could win with Raymond, for sure."