This year, Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond is all in on wearing yellow and blue.
The second-year forward has said yes to playing for Sweden at May’s World Championship, which is scheduled to be held in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. That’s in contrast to last year, when Raymond said he didn’t have anything left in the tank after suiting up in 82 games for the Wings.
“There’s always a big honor playing for your national team, and last year I didn’t go,” Raymond said this week. “This year coming out, I feel really good and I want to keep playing. That was my thought process. I’m very excited to go.”
In addition to Raymond, Wings teammates Olli Määttä (Finland) and Joe Veleno (Canada) have said they’re going. Ville Husso (Finland) said he is probably not going; nor is Andrew Copp (USA). Likewise, Moritz Seider said he is “probably not going to go,” to represent his native Germany.
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It’s a sensible move for Raymond, a chance to work on his game. There’s no question the No. 4 pick in 2020 is skilled, but after recording 23 goals and 34 assists in 2021-22, Raymond posted 17 goals and 28 assists in 74 games this season; his points-per-game average dipping from .70 to .61. He didn’t score a goal until his eighth game (when he scored two) and scored only one goal his last 18 games.
“I felt like my play was pretty consistent, but production could come in bunches sometimes,” Raymond said. “I felt good. I think I grew a lot on the ice and off the ice as well. I want to continue taking steps and have a good summer and keep building on that. It’s just learning a lot about yourself.”
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Raymond missed eight games recovering from a lower-body injury sustained in a collision with teammate Ben Chiarot during practice on Feb. 10. Raymond had played almost exclusively on a line with Dylan Larkin — dating back to 2021-22 — until that point, but was paired with Copp the last two months. Raymond remained on the first power play unit; that was one area where he just edged his rookie output, coming in with one more point at 19.
Having Raymond, who just turned 21 in March, play at the World Championship is a good development for the Wings, because it will allow Raymond to work on his game at an elite level. General manager Steve Yzerman said in his season-ending availability with reporters that some of the Wings’ need for more offense has to come from within. Raymond already has shown he can score 20 goals, but given his top-line, top-power play status, 30 is going to be the expectation before long.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
Next up: The lottery
What: 2023 NHL draft lottery; the NHL will draw for the top two spots in June’s draft, with the remaining positions determined by record.
When: 7 p.m. May 8.
The Red Wings’ pick? The Wings finished with the league’s ninth-worst record (35-37-10), keeping them in contention for No. 1 overall. (Only the bottom 11 teams in the league have a chance at the No. 1 pick.) The Wings have a 5% chance at No. 1 (projected to be WHL star Connor Bedard), a 5.4% chance at No. 2 (likely Michigan’s Adam Fantilli) and a 64.4% chance of staying at No. 9. They can fall no farther than 11th, with a 1.7% chance of that and a 23.5% chance of falling to No. 10.