Last time Andrew Copp was in Detroit, he beat the Red Wings in overtime. Now he's joining them.
The Red Wings have signed Copp to a five-year deal worth $5.625 million per year on the first day of free agency, per Darren Dreger, filling a major need at center behind Dylan Larkin. The Ann Arbor native who was teammates with Larkin at Michigan will play a prominent role in the Wings' top six, likely anchoring their second line.
"I really like where this team is headed and just want to be a part of it going forward," Copp said on TSN shortly after the deal was announced.
Copp scored a career-high 53 points in 72 games last season with the Jets and the Rangers, then added 14 points in 20 playoff games in New York's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He also posted highly favorable possession metrics and was strong at the face-off dot, winning over 53 percent of his draws.
The deal marks the first time since Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman arrived in 2019 that he has signed a player outside the organization for longer than two years. In this case, it makes sense.
Copp just turned 28 and will provide much-needed punch down the middle as the Wings push toward playoff contention in a loaded Eastern Conference. He can play in all situations, including special teams. And he should still be in his prime when the Red Wings, as a true contender, are entering theirs.
Copp has been to the playoffs each of the last five seasons. The Red Wings have missed them each of the last six, one of the longest droughts in franchise history. But Copp knows how quickly things can change. Asked about joining a team that isn't lined up for immediate success, he said, "With Winnipeg, same thing as the Rangers this year, you seem like a rebuilding team and then the next year you’re in the conference finals."
"That was exactly what happened in Winnipeg and exactly what happened in New York, so I don’t think this group is far off from that," said Copp. "Whether we make the conference finals next year or not, I don’t know, but I really like where this group is trending. It’s not just a one- or two-year decision. It’s a five-year decision."
So it is for Yzerman. He said last week that helping long-tenured members of the Wings' core like Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi was a priority of his this summer. He said he wanted to "surround them with better players."
"If there’s a player that we feel can make a very significant impact, we’re not afraid to do that in free agency,” Yzerman said. “Some of the things we weigh are, how much does that player help us today, tomorrow and three, four years down the road? What’s the cost of acquiring that player? And does the cost of acquiring that player make sense for where we hope to be in three or four years?"
Related
Up front, Copp is an upgrade. The Wings relied on Pius Suter as their second-line center for most of last season. The drop-off from Larkin was stark. Suter is a solid player, but he's better suited for a bottom-six role, a checking center more than a playmaker. Copp, who has scored at about a 60-point pace the past two seasons and garnered Selke votes last season, can be both.
If the Wings are a better team next season, Copp will be a big reason why.
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker