Connect with us

Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Copp Expects More From Himself

Veteran forward thinks he can produce better numbers

Published

5 months ago

on

Andrew Copp, Red Wings
Red Wings forward Andrew Copp thinks he has more to give offensively.

No one can question that Andrew Copp was filling a vital role for the Detroit Red Wings last season.

Well, maybe there is one person who is qualified to question his performance.

Copp would be that guy, and the in the opinion of the Red Wings forward, he thinks he’s got more to give to the team.

“I think every guy always wants to produce more,” Copp said. “I would say that I can.”

As the Red Wings kicked their playoff drive into gear, a key element in the club’s turnaround was the formation of a stellar checking line with Copp between Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer. Putting offense on the back burner, their main task was shutting down the other team’s most dangerous forward unit.

“Role wise it kind of changed from last year being a little more offensive to this year kind of playing against the other team’s top line in a checking capacity,” Copp said. “There’s more to my game offensively but that wasn’t really asked of me.

“You kinda just gotta do what’s asked of you. It felt like I did a decent job, especially down the stretch.”

Red Wings Will Again Require Scoring Depth

As much as he downplays his offensive contribution, Copp did score 13 goals last season. That was his third-highest output as an NHLer. And he did so while seeing very minimal power-play time.

“It’s really tough to produce five-on-five in this league,” Copp said. “Power play is a huge part of producing.”

Between them, Copp (13), Rasmussen (13) and Fischer (five) would combine for 31 goals. The Red Wings will again be seeking that type of scoring depth from their bottom-six forwards.

“It felt like, especially when Me, Ras and Fish were going, I thought we were producing and we were playing against the other team’s top line through a lot of the games that we won down the stretch,” Copp said.

The reality is that with the offseason addition of Vladimir Tarasenko and the re-signing of Patrick Kane, it’s likely that Copp will again be filling the slot as the No. 3 center. And he’s fine with that prognosis.

“If you were to look at the number one strength of my game, you would say it’s hockey IQ and defending,” Copp said. “I do relish that role.

“Obviously everyone wants to produce, everyone wants to score goals. Whatever is best for the team is the biggest thing. Obviously I’ll come in prepared, ready to produce offensively. At the same time, ready to have a huge role shutting the other team’s top guys down and being vital on the PK.”

Related Topics: