The questions and concerns regarding Lucas Raymond don’t come as often anymore.
They did at the start of this season, when Raymond didn’t score a goal in the first seven games. Then, again in late November, when Raymond went through a nine-game stretch without a goal.
Fair enough. Raymond, even at the tender age of 20, is an important offensive player on this roster, and the expectations are high. So, the questions came.
But fans aren’t asking anymore, and especially after Raymond was named the NHL’s Second Star for his performance last week.
Raymond had seven points (three goals, four assists) in three games, actually tying Third Star Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov for offense during three games.
Seattle goaltender Martin Jones won Player of the Week for his 3-0-0 week, with a 1.67 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and two shutouts.
Entering Thursday’s game in Vegas, Raymond has 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points. He’s on pace to better last season’s rookie accomplishments of 23 goals, 34 assists and 57 points, despite teams knowing and preparing to defend him, and the Wings being without Robby Fabbri, Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana for much of this season, placing even more on Raymond’s shoulders.
During his goal-scoring slumps, Raymond at no time listened to any of the outside noise. The speculation was foreign to him. Raymond was confident if he concentrated on what he normally has done, and does, things would turn around.
“Just trying to focus on my game,” Raymond said. “I feel like I was happy with my game, and it was just a matter of time and it would come if I continued to do what I was doing. It’s good that it (goals) finally came.”
What coach Derek Lalonde has consistently maintained regarding both Raymond, 20, and Moritz Seider, 21, is their youth and inexperience, compared to the responsibility and expectations they have on the Wings.
“On teams a little deeper, a little more established, top players ahead of him, you can kind of take your time with it,” Lalonde said of Raymond’s development. “But, right now, Lucas is a first-line-type player for us, so we’re kind of developing on the fly, and it’s not easy to do.
“Impressed by both of them. It’s impressive what they’ve done. It’s almost unfair what we ask of them. You take Mo, every situation he’s always against their (opponents’) top line, he’s first out on the penalty kill, first out on the power play. Raymond, it’s very similar.
“It’s experience by fire, both of them and they’re handling it very well.”
Captain Dylan Larkin went through a challenging sophomore NHL season himself, and Larkin wasn’t concerned about Raymond coming out of a small goal-less streak.
“He’s going to play a lot of hockey, and he’s going to go through a lot of ups, a lot of downs,” Larkin said. “When things aren’t going well, when the puck’s not going in the net, you’ve got to work, go out there and win battles. I was in this position (his second season), but he’s much more talented than I was at that age, and much more mature.”
Ice breaker
Jakub Vrana scored his first goal in nine games Wednesday with Grand Rapids, as the Griffins defeated Rockford, 5-2.
It was Vrana’s 500th professional game. Vrana is currently with the Griffins, after being waived by the Red Wings.
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 35 of 37 shots for the Griffins, who have earned points in three consecutive games.
The Wings made an organizational trade that alleviated a glut of experienced forwards in Grand Rapids by trading Kyle Criscuolo to the San Jose Sharks for forward Jasper Weatherby.
Weatherby, 24, has appeared in 64 AHL games through parts of two seasons with eight goals and 13 assists (21 points). Weatherby has played 50 games with Sharks, with five goals and six assists.
Weatherby (6-foot-4, 222-pounds) was a 2018 fourth-round draft pick of San Jose.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan