You Don’t Want to Hear it, but . . . Red Wings Missed Copp

Andrew Copp isn’t as much a member of the Detroit Red Wings’ roster as he is a lightning rod.

He’s one of those players of whom no one in the fan base is neutral in their opinion of his value.

Some simply can’t get past the contract Copp signed with the Red Wings in 2022. A five-year deal worth $28.125 million. They merely view him in the parameters of being overvalued, overpaid and ultimately, overrated.

Here’s the thing about that contract: Copp didn’t hold a gun to Detroit GM Steve Yzerman to get that pact. It was presented to him. And no one in their right mind is going to say no thank you to that offer.

Is that more money than Copp should be paid? Of course it is. But here’s the other thing about Copp. Once you get past the dollars, having him on your team makes a lot of sense.

An update on Andrew Copp. pic.twitter.com/FZ5mZ2WlhP

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 25, 2025

Unfortunately, it took Copp’s absence to display exactly how much he means to this team. When Copp went out for the season after suffering a pectoral injury that required season-ending surgery, the Red Wings playoff hopes steadily began slip-sliding away.

Red Wings Faded Without Copp

In Detroit’s first eight games minus Copp, the team went 2-6. The Wings were 3-7 in the first 10 games without the veteran center and 4-9 through 13 contests in his absence.

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan doesn’t try to sugar coat it. Copp’s loss was placing the team in dire straits in a number of areas.

Andrew Copp buries a shorty! pic.twitter.com/UiXLMF0ccu

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 24, 2025

“We missed him for faceoffs, we missed him for defensive zone coverage, we missed him a little bit for poise and just to calm things down,” McLellan said.

Don’t take his word for it. Check the data.

Copp’s 50.7% faceoff success rate was second among the team’s centers behind Dylan Larkin. He was fifth on the team in takeaways per 60 minutes (1.31). You want fancy stats? Copp’s on-ice shooting percentage (9.2) was fourth on the club. His on-ice goals for percentage (52.1) was eighth overall.

Copp was also prevalent in an uptick in the Detroit penalty kill after the coaching change from Derek Lalonde to McLellan. The team killed off 73.3% of penalties under McLellan with Copp in the lineup. After he was suffering his injury, that percentage dipped to 70.1.

Numbers Added Up

With Copp, McLellan’s Red Wings were 15-5-2. Without Copp, they were 9-12-2.

Now, no one is trying to suggest that Copp alone was the reason for the Red Wings turnaround under McLellan. All we’re saying – backed up by the evidence – is that he was having a positive effect.

Just as the Red Wings were better under McLellan, so was Copp. He admits to feeling like a different player.

“When I was in the mix, it was about trusting yourself instinctually,” Copp said. “I think that that’s something that was able to come back into my game. A little bit of confidence and letting my best quality, probably – my hockey IQ – be my best quality.”