What Marco Kasper's second-half surge means for the Red Wings' present and future

New York Times

18-03-2025

For the first 50 minutes of the Detroit Red Wings' 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, Marco Kasper was knocking on the door.
In the first period, he found Patrick Kane off a spinning pass on a two-on-one for a Grade-A chance. Early in the second, he drove to the net off the rush and got a couple of good whacks at a Simon Edvinsson rebound. Less than five minutes into the third, he found some rare open space just outside the crease, received a pass from Alex DeBrincat, and tried to wait out Vegas goaltender Ilya Samsonov before ultimately putting his shot wide.
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Had that been the extent of his day, the Red Wings likely would have still taken it. For a young center with only 63 career NHL games under his belt, getting those looks is half the battle. But midway through the third, Kasper finally got his reward — once again creeping down to the crease and this time redirecting an Erik Gustafsson pass into the back of the net.
It was Kasper's 13th goal of the season, and 11th since Jan. 10. That's the most by any NHL rookie in that span. His 20 points in those 27 games have represented a major surge, corresponding with his elevation into Detroit's top six. Much like Sunday's game, Kasper has played well all season — but now the offense is coming, too.
Tic-tac-GOAL!
Marco Kasper's 13th of the season. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/RdEpZw4sJa
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 16, 2025
Recently, he's been centering the Red Wings' second line between Kane and DeBrincat, two of the team's most creative offensive players. And as much as that speaks to the trust he's earned from Red Wings coach Todd McLellan, his play has done plenty of talking on its own.
'I keep banging this young man's drum, because he deserves it,' McLellan said last week, after a three-point night from Kasper.
Kasper has been all over the lineup this season, playing everywhere from the bottom six to a spot on the top line as a left wing. And through it all, he's performed well: his 52.74 percent expected goals share at five-on-five leads all Detroit regulars, according to Evolving Hockey.
With Andrew Copp out for the season, though, he has settled nicely into centering Kane and DeBrincat — a role Detroit had only dabbled with before, but now suddenly looks like an obvious fit.
Some of that is stylistic. As McLellan noted, 'When Cat and Kaner play, they know each other real well. They need somebody in and around the net.'
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Certainly, Kasper's fearless, hard-charging style is a fit for that. He brings pace, forechecking and that all-important presence around the blue paint to any line he's on.
And as the season has gone on, it's been impossible not to notice Kasper becoming even more impactful on a night-to-night basis, whether it's been with Kane and DeBrincat or on the wing for Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
'He's got a little bit more experience, and probably some more confidence playing at this level, playing with top players like Larks and Ray — and I know it's a different position (on the wing), but you're still playing hockey,' Kane said Monday. 'So I think (he) seems a little bit more confident. What I've liked about his game is just his pace of play and his ability to drive the middle, right? That just opens up a lot of space for us, and for him going to the net too. That's definitely been a key factor for our success.'
Within that, too, though, have come plays like one he and Kane nearly turned into a goal in the first period. Does Kasper make that spinning pass on a two-on-one three or four months ago? It's hard to say. But he made it Sunday, even if it was slightly behind hitting Kane in full stride.
'He has that ability,' Kane said. 'He has the skill. I mean, he's got a good shot. You've seen a lot of his goals this year have been around the net, too, like off the shin pad, just getting a stick on it like the one (Sunday) night, getting open around the net — I mean, that's a good way to learn how to score in this league, especially as a centerman. But he does have skill, and he has the ability to make the plays. And I think with his compete level and his pushing the pace up the middle, it kind of fits well with the way Cat and I like to play.'
It's also not the first time Kasper has seen his production and impact tick up as a season has progressed. Dominik Shine was with Kasper last season on the Griffins, when Kasper took a similar route spending some time in the first half adjusting to the new league and then becoming more and more impactful. After having 35 points in 71 games in the AHL regular season, he closed with seven points in nine playoff games, including four goals.
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'I think as the AHL season went on, he really took a step towards the end of the year, when things got hard,' Shine said. 'Which is, I think, a big tell of his character. So I see the same thing here. I think games are getting a little tighter, and you'll see him rise up to the occasion. He's a really good player.'
In the short term, that surge is helping the Red Wings try to keep pace in a crowded Eastern Conference wild-card race. Detroit remains in the mix to grab the final wild-card spot, and if it does, Kasper's ability to find those chances at the goal mouth — all while still playing a responsible defensive game — will likely be part of the reason why.
In the big picture, though, his development over the course of the season has even bigger implications. The Red Wings have tried for years now to find a permanent answer at second-line center, but have typically only found short-term solutions. Copp and Compher were signed in part to address that hole in the lineup, and while both have seen time — and had stretches of success — there, they've also at times spent time in more matchup-focused roles in the bottom six.
It remains to be seen how Detroit will approach the role next season, as Copp had also found success next to DeBrincat before his season ended early due to an injury to his pectoral tendon, and Kasper looking so good next to Larkin and Raymond. But with the way Kasper is playing at such a young age — he turns 21 in April — he is increasingly looking like a key part of the future down the middle.
It's noteworthy, for example, that he currently has the same number of goals (13) as Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier, a fellow rookie forward (and a top-five pick) from the same 2022 draft. It makes you wonder if Kasper's offensive potential may indeed be more substantial than some of his seasons on the way up might have otherwise indicated. Certainly, his recent performances only make it easier to believe that.
But point totals will never be the full picture for how Kasper is evaluated, with his defensive impact and competitiveness both major selling points. Ultimately, it's the combination of all three — offense, defense and intangibles — that give him a path to being that long-term top-six center Detroit has long been looking for.
That's why, even seeing those extra flashes of creativity and offense of late, McLellan still has his eyes on the total package.
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'I think when players expand their game a little bit, they feel good about themselves,' McLellan said. 'They feel like they belong, and do exactly that: expand their game and attempt a few new things. But the key about Marco is he doesn't lose, really, what he has already in play. Sometimes players will try and expand their game, and then give everything back, and they end up with nothing.
'If Marco grows his game a little bit by doing and trying different things, great. But we're counting on him not giving anything back, as well.'