Kasper Critical to Red Wings’ Hope of Ending Drought

The Detroit Red Wings believe that Marco Kasper will be an important offensive contributor this season and yet they are not going to put a number on their expectation.

“Regardless of the goals and assists, I think he’s going to be an even better player,” Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman said. “Just getting more and more comfortable.”

Last season,  Kasper improved significantly as the season wore on. The young Austrian posted nine goals and 14 points in his last 18 games. Earlier this week, the Detroit Sports Media (DSM) named Kasper the 2024-25 Red Wings Rookie of the Year.

Marco Kasper putting in WORK in Austria…

Kasper under Todd McLellan had 17 Goals, 13 Assists for 30 Points in 48 Games with a +6 Rating. (2nd on the team in that span)

I expect Marco to grow offensively with a whole year of playing with Kane and Cat. (Stat Prediction 28 G, 30… pic.twitter.com/RVI39GBTtn

— Justin Satawa (@Justin_Satawa) July 10, 2025

With the Red Wings unable to land another high profile scorer to play in the top six, Kasper’s expected growth is even more critical to the team’s hope to end their nine-year playoff drought.  Unless GM Steve Yzerman makes a trade here soon that alters the team’s top six forwards, it looks like Kasper would center Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane again.

Even at 21, Kasper is a full service performer. His 156 hits were second on the Detroit team to defenseman Moritz Seider (212).

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“I thought he had a real impact on us all over the ice, really,” Yzerman said. “He’s playing in all situations and I think most importantly is he felt like (or) looked like he was very confident out there. He was just playing. He felt like he belonged. “

Yzerman views Kasper as a dependable all-around player.

“He can really make a difference on his line and on a team,” Yzerman said. “So I think I don’t want to raise the expectation to unrealistic levels or put too much pressure on him alone. But he’s really a driven young man, really competitive kid. Every day he’s out there working to get better. So I think he’s a mentally tough kid, too. So I think regardless of the goals and assists, I think he’s going to be an even better player. Just getting more and more comfortable and he. And he really works at it.”

The Detroit Sports Media has named Red Wings Rookie of the Year since 1949 when the late Max McNab was chosen. Others who have won the award include Terry Sawchuk (1951), Glenn Hall (1956), Bruce MacGregor (1962), Roger Crozier (1965), Marcel Dionne (1972) and Dale McCourt (1978).

The group didn’t name a Red Wings Rookie of the Year last season. Forward Jonatan Berggren was the choice in 2023 and Moritz Seider won the award in 2022.