After opening the New Year with two losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings decided that their offense was in need of a new look. They sent down rookie Nate Danielson and brought back John Leonard to rejoin the main club after only a week in Grand Rapids (then back down again). Most surprisingly, to some, Marco Kasper has found himself back on Detroit\u2019s top line with Dylan Larkin.<\/p>\n
Kasper ended last season playing with Larkin and Lucas Raymond on the Red Wings first line, with 17 goals and 12 assists to total 29 points in the second half of last season. Those 17 goals led all rookies last year in scoring after the New Year.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to this season, and Kasper\u2019s been looking like he\u2019s seeing ghosts. <\/a><\/p>\n Initially centering the second line with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, with Emmitt Finnie taking his spot on the top line. So far this season, Kasper has three goals, all of which came before the end of October, and three assists.<\/p>\n Snakes and Ladders<\/p>\n Why then, did he seemingly take Raymond\u2019s spot on the top line? Raymond has taken the team lead in points with 46, though only 12 of those are goals. He\u2019s now on Detroit\u2019s third line with J.T. Compher and James van Riemsdyk<\/a>.<\/p>\n When watching the Red Wings play so far this January, the answer seems to lie in Head Coach Todd McLellan\u2019s desire to get some of the Red Wings forwards up to speed, and playing at a higher level. In Kane\u2019s 500th goal game with the Red Wings playing against the Canucks,<\/a> Kasper struggled early in the game to make an impact on play like he has in many games this year.<\/p>\n Late in the first period Kasper fielded a pass near the Canucks bench with the opportunity to pass up to an open man, but he danced with his feet and ended up allowing a turnover. In an earlier sequence in the Red Wings defensive zone, Kasper started climbing uphill after seeing Finnie get the puck behind John Gibson. Except, the pass ran along the boards to where he had been, not where he was going. Another turnover.<\/p>\n In the third period Raymond did a lot of the dirty work on Compher\u2019s goal, even though he wouldn\u2019t end up being credited with an assist on the play. There\u2019s not a way to really measure it other than the eye test, but Compher and JVR both look like they\u2019re playing faster with the wily young winger. Placing Raymond on the third line has allowed the team to dictate the pace of play across more shifts on ice.<\/p>\n Why then, is Kasper on the top line now, and not a more proven scorer?<\/p>\n Hit Me<\/p>\n Well, Kasper establishes a presence on the ice. By giving Kasper more top line minutes, McLellan is giving Kasper the opportunity to make an impact by acting as the setup man in Raymond\u2019s place, while giving the top line a potentially more secure defensive look. After all, Kasper is second on the team in hits.<\/p>\n