It was an anxious summer for Lucas Raymond, who was on his phone more than he'd like. Down time turned into "screen time," he said, as he waited for word on contract negotiations with the Red Wings. Finally, a few days before training camp, the two sides agreed on an eight-year, $64.6 million deal -- "a huge relief" for Raymond, who can turn his attention to hockey.
"From the start, a big thing for me was that I wanted long term," Raymond said Tuesday. "I think I’ve been pretty vocal about that, how much I like Detroit, how much I like the city, the team and the direction we’re heading. Very happy that we got it done."
Raymond is a rudder for the Red Wings, who are starting to turn the corner. The 22-year-old forward nearly propelled the team into the playoffs last season for the first time in eight years. He put up career best numbers and "down the stretch," as Steve Yzerman said Tuesday, "took his game to another level." 14 of his 31 goals came in the final 18 games, and several of them were clutch.
"I think I figured out a lot of things about my game, what makes me good, and how to be able to do that on a consistent basis," Raymond said.
And what did he figure out?
"Just the way that I perform the best when I play a certain way, my movement on the ice, the physical aspect was for sure one part of it, and my skating," said Raymond. "That made it a lot easier, and also something to fall back on, when you might not be feeling great, to find your rhythm again. Trying to build off of that."
The NHL's salary cap continues to rise. If Raymond's rise is just beginning, his $8.075 million salary will become a bargain. That cap hit ranks just outside the NHL's 40 highest-paid forwards for the upcoming season. For now, that's fitting: Raymond was tied for 40th among forwards last season with 72 points. In time, it could look like one of the more team-friendly numbers in the NHL. At the very least, it's fair market value.
Raymond's breakout last season came at both ends of the ice, and on the heels of a heavy offseason of training. The Red Wings asked him to bulk up, and he came back with 10 more pounds of muscle. That made him stronger on pucks, which allowed his skills to shine. For Raymond, continuous growth "comes down to being really curious, to wanting to improve, and that's the way I am."
"I don't know that there’s a specific age that a player peaks at, but I think he’s just entering the early stages of his prime," Yzerman said. "I fully expect him to become a better hockey player, for a couple reasons. He’s an extremely driven, extremely bright player and with his motivation, he’ll just continue to get better over the next few years."
Yzerman said the Red Wings saw "significant growth" in Raymond "from year two to year three." He's always been a conscientious player; Yzerman never would have drafted him if not. He's just become more equipped to make winning plays as he's adjusted to the NHL. It's a fast, heavy game short on time and space. Raymond found a little more of both last season by playing with an extra edge.
"I’m not the biggest guy out there, but you get in those situations and get physical, that usually helps you get into the game a little bit easier," he said. "I felt that was a big thing. Maybe it was a little bit of a conscious (decision) to do it, but I think that came naturally as well."
The Red Wings have every reason to believe that Raymond's surge at the end of last season was a sign of things to come. Their commitment to the player only backfires if he regresses. Yzerman is confident that Raymond will reach "another level" yet. His maturation was most evident last season when the Wings lost their captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin for several weeks to an injury and Raymond shined without him.
"He’s (been) our best player, I think," Moritz Seider said at the time. "Even in tough stretches, he finds a way to get on the board, stay in it, play the right way. I think he’s just taken a real big step compared to last year."
"Raymond was unbelievable," Patrick Kane said after the Wings' playoff push fell one point short.
Seider is likely to sign a long-term contract himself in the coming days. He and Raymond are two of the Red Wings' pillars around Larkin. Their respective gains over the next several seasons will have a huge bearing on if and when the team returns to contention. Eight years for Raymond is a small risk that could yield big rewards.
As a team, the Red Wings made a jump last season. So did Raymond, who said he's "taking bigger strides, taking more responsibility and getting higher expectations on myself. That’s the goal."
"I’m still 22," he said, "so hopefully have a lot of development still to do."