NHL Snubs Raymond on Top Young Forward List

Nothing wrong with the NHL.com crew’s idea of ranking the league’s Top 10 under-25 forwards. Fans enjoy those efforts, especially in the offseason when there are too many days left before the start of next season.

But Detroit Red Wings fans didn’t appreciate this list at all.

That’s because Lucas Raymond, 23, wasn’t on it. The most interesting aspect of that omission is Raymond (with 80 points in 82 games) outscored everyone on the NHL.com list.  While the list isn’t, and shouldn’t be, strictly about scoring, there is usually room for the top-scoring player on these kinds of lists.

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It’s not as if Raymond doesn’t measure up to this group as a complete player. He continued to grow as a player last season on a team that didn’t make the playoffs and was ranked 22nd in offensive production.

Raymond was impressively sharp at the Four Nations Face-off. He contributed 11 points in 10 games to help Sweden win the bronze medal at the World Championships. This is a true difference-maker.

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His 27 goals last season give him 58 over the past two seasons. Raymond had five game-winning goals, including an overtime tally.

In fairness to NHL.com, putting together these entertaining lists always invites criticism. There always has to be the best player not on any list. And that’s the player that usually gets talked about.

Future Superstars

The NHL. com list didn’t include a criterion for the selection process, but the list includes four players who are headed for superstardom in Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Matvei Michkov.

Raymond may have outperformed two of them, or all of them, this season, but are they on the list because they will soon be among the league’s top difference-makers?

Would you trade Raymond for Cole Caufield? He’s fifth on the list.

The truth is that when you start to decide who comes off the list to put Raymond on it, you quickly realize it’s not an easy task to put together this list. Michkov is 10th on the list, and Carolina’s Seth Jarvis is ninth. If you remove the highly dangerous Michkov off the list, Flyers fans will be incensed. How could he not be among the top 10 under-25 forwards?

Likewise, Carolina fans would be aghast if Jarvis was snubbed. In addition to reaching the 30-goal mark again, Jarvis boasted 16 points in 15 playoff games.

We can certainly find room for Raymond on this list. However, folks likely somewhere would be insulted by the absence of the player we removed.