The Detroit Red Wings draw Marco Kasper in eighth place in the 2022 NHL draft, making the 18-year-old Carinthian the fourth Austrian to be drafted in the first round (Marco Kasper says following the draft >>>).
After the developments of the last few weeks, this is no longer a sensation (read HERE >>>).
LAOLA1 scout Bernd Freimüller looks at this once so successful organization, which is (slightly) trending upwards once more following difficult years and what the short and long-term future of Kasper with the Red Wings can look like:
Die Organisation
The Red Wings were considered the flagship organization of the NHL in the 90s and 00s and also won the Stanley Cup four times (97, 98, 02, 08).
After the 25-year playoff streak ended in 2017, the post-season always took place without Detroit. Since Steve Yzerman took over the GM post from Ken Holland in 2019, fans are more optimistic once more.
It seems the future is brighter (thanks to some great draft picks).
The Last Season
The Red Wings finished the 2021-22 season sixth in the Atlantic Division, 26 points from an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
After seven years, Jeff Blashill had to go, his successor is Derek Lalonde, an assistant coach of the Stanley Cup finalists Tampa Bay Lightning. The 49-year-old is considered a player’s coach, his last head coaching job was with the Iowa Wild from 2016 to 2018 in the AHL.
He is regarded as a representative of a puck possession style that gives his players freedom on the offensive.
The team
The good thing first: The Red Wings have no cap problems, have almost 30 million dollars in cap space and not a single important player needs a new contract.
However, captain and team leader Dylan Larkin is entering the last year of his contract and also has a no-trade clause. However, it is to be expected that Yzerman and Larkin, who recently switched agents, will find a long-term agreement, even if Yzerman has tended towards short-term contracts in his previous aegis.
What sets the Red Wings apart: A number of top prospects and good young players already in the lineup, most notably Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider and Swedish wing Lucas Raymond (with 57 points in his debut season).
In addition, 19-year-old defender Simon Edvinsson, who has a great hockey scythe, is expected to join next season.
What’s missing?
Yzerman worked on a construction site during the draft: Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues joined Alex Nedeljkovic (changeable in his first season in Detroit) as second goalie.
The third in the group: The Finn Juho Olkinuora, who has just won gold at the World Championships. Last year’s first-round pick, Sebastian Cossa, is starting his pro career with the farm team in Grand Rapids. Thomas Greiss and Magnus Hellberg are no longer an issue.
On defense, Yzerman will have to be very active in the free agent phase. Even if Edvinsson hits, he needs multiple Defenders on the left flank. With Nick Leddy as a veteran, Yzerman was not happy last season. Marc Staal might stay another year as a character player at the age of 35.
Also needed: A center behind Larkin. Pius Suter, Michael Rasmussen (with a very good second half of the season), Robby Fabbri and Joe Veleno were either ranked too high or played on the wing.
Mitchell Stephens will once more be a fourth-line candidate (upon contract renewal), which would keep center positions two and three open. Oskar Sundqvist, who came from St. Louis in exchange for Leddy at the trading deadline, might also move into the middle without promising big scorers here.
The big question: Is Yzerman looking for a multi-year solution or a short-term free agent? A man like Andrew Copp – sure to be in high demand on July 13 – might be a man for a second or third line. Another wing for the top 6 is also on Yzerman’s to-do list.
The long-term future of Marco Kasper
Marco Kasper with Kris Draper (left) and Steve Yzerman (right)
Foto: © getty
As already mentioned, the center position of the Red Wings is suboptimal. While the Red Wings have consistently had a top 10 pick in their last six drafts, with the only center forward drafted during that period being Rasmussen in 2017, his development has been slow and his limit might be a good third-line player.
Theodor Niederbach (Frölunda) and Robert Mastrosimone (Boston University) are younger pivots with Upside, but both are years away from the NHL. A little further is Pontus Andreasson (signed as a free agent from Lulea), but the 22-year-old Swede is also scheduled for Grand Rapids, as is the tall winger Elmer Söderblom.
So the Red Wings is an organization that isn’t exactly knee-deep in top centers. However, that can change quickly. Behold the Minnesota Wild, where Marco Rossi was supposed to close the hole in the middle. But now there’s Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman (following a great season) given as a one-two punch.
In Detroit, too, Larkin and a free agent who has yet to be hired might take on the center roles for years to come. Conversely, Larkin might be gone following the next season (but it doesn’t sound like it), a short-term free agent might come or go, and the center position would be an even bigger problem than it is now.
However: Like so many young players, Kasper might start his NHL career as a winger, it remains to be seen what role he will have in Rögle next season. However, the Red Wings are of course well informed that the Austrian has almost always acted as a center in the youth field and Yzerman also sees Kasper’s future in this position.
Scouting guru Hakan Andersson was very interested in my impressions of him from his years in Klagenfurt at the beginning of the season – especially his past as a playmaker (and less as a power forward like in Sweden) might offer an additional variant.
With Matt Savoie, the Buffalo Sabers drafted another center/wing with a big upside and that one spot behind Kasper. The Red Wings apparently thought the Austrian’s potential was higher. Andersson’s role under Yzerman proves the following record: Since 2019, the Red Wings drafted 12 players in the first two rounds – nine of them from Europe, six of them from Sweden.
The next season for Marco Kasper
An entry-level deal right now would not come as a surprise, but it would have to be completed by July 15 (with a premium of $100,000 also possible by August 15).
It is not entirely impossible that this will come into effect immediately. The center position in Detroit is just wide open, at least a trial run with the well-known nine games would be possible.
Sweden and the NHL agreed on a new transfer deal a few months ago. Kasper might also go to the AHL as a first-round pick, while players from higher rounds up to the age of 24 can only play in the NHL or SHL.
However: Whether Seider, Raymond or Edvinsson – they all still played in the SHL following their draft, but at Seider it was due to Corona. This variant is also the most likely for Kasper, thanks to Andersson the trust in the SHL as a training league is of course boundless.
The variant with the Ottawa 67’s, which drew the Austrian this week in the CHL import draft (read HERE >>>), is probably even less likely with the Red Wings than with other organizations. After all, he also has a one-year contract in Rögle.
Conclusion: If the entry-level deal (of course Kasper will get the cap of $925,000) with the Red Wings is signed within the next few days, they can decide on Kasper’s destination for the 22/23 season, i.e. NHL, AHL or one Loan to Ängelholm (whether from the beginning of the season or later).
Without a contract, Kasper will stay with Rögle, which for me is the most likely option anyway.
In contrast to Kasper, the second Austrian draft pick, Vinzenz Rohrer (to the Montreal Canadiens) does not have to worry regarding his immediate future: Until the Canadiens have to offer him a contract in two years at the latest, he will be in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s stay, but without Kasper as a secondary player.
Text source: © LAOLA1.at
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