Raymond on Path to Be One of Sweden’s Top NHL Scorers

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan has compared Lucas Raymond to Henrik Zetterberg. But maybe we shouldn’t project what Raymond will be like in his prime because he carries a sky-is-the-limit projection for himself.

“The thing you love about him is he wants to be the best,” teammate Patrick Kane said.

Raymond, 23, is on a path to be among the best Swedes to ever play in the NHL. He scored twice Saturday (for his 11th multiple-goal game) to help the Red Wings down the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3.  He’s the fifth-youngest Swedish player at the time of his 100th career NHL goal, behind Mats Sundin (22 years, 56 days), Tomas Sandstrom (23 years, 50 days), Filip Forsberg (23 years, 93 days) and Gabriel Landeskog (23 years, 130 days).

“He puts the work in, whether it’s during practice, or off the ice,” Kane said, “finding ways to better himself. He’s been really impressive since I got here.”

Now in his fifth NHL season, Raymond is as important as anyone on Detroit’s roster.  For the Red Wings to improve offensively, his continued growth as a player is essential.

“I think he’s just progressing every day, every game,” Kane said.  “Obviously, each year I’ve been here, he just gets better and better.”

Raymond’s passion

From the moment McLellan returned to Detroit last season, he has appreciated Raymond’s competitiveness.

“He’s a fiery guy,” McLellan said. “I didn’t know he was as evasive with the puck — how he can pick his way through shot is tremendous. He’s learning how to be a real good leader and he commits to the defensive side of the puck.”

Raymond is a player who didn’t spend a day with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He was impressive in his first rookie tournament, then his first training camp and preseason. GM Steve Yzerman immediately put him on the team and Raymond has continued to move forward from there.

Kane only plays with the Raymond on the power play, but there is mutual respect there.

“Kane is huge for us and not just the stuff everyone sees on the ice, but off the ice as well with
his leadership,” Raymond said.  “It’s fun to see the work he puts in every day and it’s great for young guys to come in and just being able to watch a guy like that, I remember when he came in, that was the thing that stood out for me right away. He’s a big part for us.”

Given the Red Wings struggles to score five-on-five goals last season, keeping the team’s power play efficiency as strong as it was last season (fourth in the NHL) is critical. Raymond had eight goals and 37 of his 80 points on the power play. There’s pressure on him to replicate that power play production this season.  Detroit’s power play has scored one power play goal in each of its first two games

“We had a good year last year on the power play, but we want to take steps there as well,” Raymond said. “And when you played a full year together, you learn  about each other. You learn each other’s tendencies and at the same time, other teams also do. I think for us it’s about finding new ways to score, being creative out there. And we’re not
going to score every power play, but as long as we get momentum for the team and put ourselves in a good spot, I think it’s successful out there.

At 23, Raymond is the just the 50th player to score 100 goals in a Red Wings jersey. Considering Raymond signed an eight-year deal last summer, how high can he climb on Detroit’s scoring list? Gordie Howe may be the only player out of his reach.